West Ham United have signed Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old striker has agreed to a four-year deal with the Premier League club.
The Athletic reported last week that West Ham were hoping to complete a deal for Fullkrug in time for him to travel to the United States with fellow transfer target Crysencio Summerville, whose move from Leeds United was announced on Saturday. Dortmund had previously rejected an offer of around €20 million for Fullkrug, but talks between the two clubs were still ongoing.
“I am thrilled to be here, and I can not wait to get out on the field with my new teammates,” Fullkrug stated. “I believe the Premier League is the best in the world, and now is the time for me to move to England and play for a big club like West Ham.”
“I have been thinking about West Ham for a long time — I know the technical director, Tim Steidten, very well from our time at Werder Bremen, and I have watched some games to see how good the team is.”
Fullkrug joined Dortmund in the summer of 2023, having previously played for Nuremberg, Hannover, and Werder Bremen. In his debut season for Dortmund, he scored 15 goals in 43 appearances, guiding the club to the Champions League final with goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
Dortmund, on the other hand, moved to sign Serhou Guirassy from Stuttgart earlier this summer, activating his €17.5 million (£14.7 million; $19.1 million) release clause. The Guinea international, 28, scored 28 goals in the Bundesliga last season.
Fullkrug was named to Germany’s World Cup squad despite having no international experience at the time, and he made his debut in a friendly against Oman in November 2022.
He scored against Spain and Costa Rica as Germany was eliminated from the group stage, but he continued his goal-scoring streak in major tournaments by scoring against Scotland and Switzerland in the group stage of this summer’s European Championship.
Along with Fullkrug and Summerville, West Ham have signed defender Max Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brazilian teenage winger Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras, and goalkeeper Wes Foderingham this summer.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings