The transfer saga surrounding West Ham striker Niclas Füllkrug has taken another twist — and a switch in the Bundesliga may ultimately determine his future.
Former Frankfurt director of football Pirmin Schwegler is understood to be very keen on bringing Füllkrug to his new club, VfL Wolfsburg. However, two major stumbling blocks stand in the way of a deal.
Firstly, Schwegler has not yet officially taken up his new role at Wolfsburg, with compensation details still being finalised for the former Swiss international. Until that is settled, he cannot formally push ahead with any transfers.
The second issue is more serious: Wolfsburg simply cannot afford Füllkrug’s West Ham wages, which exceed £100,000 per week. As a result, Schwegler is expected to ask West Ham to subsidise roughly half of those wages as part of any loan agreement.
That could be a problem. A senior club source told Claret & Hugh that the former Dortmund forward would “have to take a pay cut if he wants to leave.” However, that stance may be softening, with West Ham yet to receive a single offer covering the full amount of his salary.
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When C&H spoke to an unnamed agent last week, we were told an offer exists for “a loan with an option to buy.”
Given that both Füllkrug and his agent have made it clear he does not want to remain at the London Stadium, this may be the best outcome West Ham can realistically hope for.
As things stand, Wolfsburg’s next move — and Schwegler’s eventual arrival — could be the deciding factor in Füllkrug’s January exit.