New Delhi: Germany International Niklas Fullkrug has emerged as one of the targets for Premier League club West Ham as they look to bulk up their front line in preparation for the upcoming season. The move comes as a slight surprise as West Ham were looking to wrap up a deal for Aston Villa’s young striker, Jhon Duran but that move seems to have hit a snag as both clubs aren’t able to reach an agreement with the Colombian.
The Hammers seem to be short on strikers when going through their squad list as they only have Michail Antonio and Danny Ings as their recognized strikers. Antonio has been a loyal servant to the club and has been a consistent performer for the club but is 34 now and Ings is 32. Neither of them can be relied upon to lead the line for the Hammers. Ings only scored once last season while Antonio missed a large chunk of the season through injury.
Jarrod Bowen played as a makeshift striker for the club last season and while he did extremely well in the role, his services are better suited on the wing. Bringing in someone like Fullkrug, who isn’t a younger option than the ones already at the club but is a lethal, goal-scoring forward and could be a good stop-gap option for the club while they continue their search for a striker who can lead the line for them for years to come.
Borussia Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug has emerged as a potential striker target for West Ham 📝 pic.twitter.com/7TuvyGF5bI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 29, 2024
He had a terrific season at Borussia Dortmund last time around, scoring 15 and assisting 11 in 42 games and also impressed off the bench for Germany at UEFA Euro 2024. According to a report by Sky Sports Italy, Fullkrug could be available for as little as £13 million and that price tag could entice the Hammers to go for the German rather than continuing their pursuit of Jhon Duran, for whom they’re willing to pay in excess of £30 million, a player has never managed to score more than 8 league goals in a single campaign.
However, given the fact that Dortmund are one of the biggest clubs in Germany, just competed in the UEFA Champions League final and will be playing the competition again next season, while West Ham won’t, it could lead to Fullkrug staying with the German giants. In case the deal for Fullkrug doesn’t go through, the club are also looking at other targets as well.
Apart from pursuing Jhon Duran, they also admire Villareal’s Alexander Sorloth, who scored 23 goals in La Liga last season but was a Premier League flop for Crystal Palace and they are also interested in Salernitana forward Boulaye Dia, who scored 16 goals in 33 Serie A games for the club in the 2022/23 season. The Hammers tried to get him to the club in the January transfer window as well but were unsuccessful in their efforts and could try for him again if they fail to successfully pursue other targets.
West Ham are looking to bolster their attack this summer and are interested in bringing the German forward to the club before the start of the season. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
