Niclas Füllkrug wants to play for Germany in the 2026 World Cup and is changing clubs to do so. However, his debut will be a race against time. Niclas Füllkrug would love to score the winning goal for his new team on Friday evening, January 2, at 8:45 p.m. — provided, of course, that he wins the bureaucratic battle first.
The Italian Serie A league has announced the transfer of the 32-year-old striker from West Ham United to Italian top club AC Milan on its website, but his quick debut for the Serie A runners-up will be a race against time. AC Milan is loaning Füllkrug until the end of the season and has an option to buy. Milan has also confirmed the deal.
Milan must submit the contract documents for the offensive player by 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon – then the 24-time German international will be allowed to travel to Sardinia with the rest of the team to secure at least a temporary lead in Serie A with a win against eleventh-placed Cagliari Calcio.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has also been actively involved in the process. Although the transfer window in Italy opens on January 2, Füllkrug needs special permission to play in the match on the day of his official signing. However, the strict deadline remains in place – otherwise the center forward will have to wait another week for his debut. It is also in Milan’s interest to meet this deadline, as they are only one point behind city rivals Inter in the table. Ahead of the away game on the Mediterranean island, however, the club is plagued by injury worries: former Bundesliga players Christian Pulisic and Christopher Nkunku, who were responsible for all three goals on the last matchday, are injured – a great opportunity for Füllkrug, who wants to use his move to Italy to get back into the spotlight for the national team and the upcoming World Cup.
Niclas Füllkrug brought Borussia Dortmund around €27 million
BVB received €27 million for Füllkrug in the summer of 2024. Füllkrug’s career in Germany was marked by many promises, but also many injuries. What he could achieve when he was fit was undisputed. However, during his time in Bremen, Nuremberg, and Hanover, he was repeatedly sidelined. He then found consistency in the 2021/22 season, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists in 33 second division games for Werder. Füllkrug played a major role in the promotion and confirmed his performance in the top flight: 28 games, 16 goals, five assists. That caught the attention of Borussia Dortmund for the 2023/24 season, who bought the “gap” for €17.25 million. And he delivered in the BVB jersey as well. Sixteen goals and ten assists in 46 competitive games were his third strong performance in a row.
But things didn’t work out at West Ham. Füllkrug had injury problems and was never able to establish himself. The bottom line is that in just over a year and a half, he has only played 29 games, scoring three goals and providing two assists. Now he wants to seize his World Cup chances at AC Milan after all.