Niclas Füllkrug still has his sights set firmly on his dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup and is changing clubs in the winter to make it happen. The striker wants to impress national team coach Julian Nagelsmann at AC Milan starting in January.
There had been repeated speculation recently about Niclas Füllkrug returning to the Bundesliga. VfL Wolfsburg in particular had shown increased interest in signing him. However, the 2024 European Championship player has now decided to continue his career abroad. He is moving from the English capital London to the fashion metropolis of Milan. This has been confirmed since Friday. Serie A announced the transfer in the morning, and the clubs followed suit in the early afternoon.
Füllkrug closes the unfortunate chapter at West Ham United for the time being and opens a new one at AC Milan. The Italian club is loaning the striker, who will wear the number 9 jersey, until the end of the season with an option to buy—which, according to Italian media reports, is around 13 million euros.
Gimenez left a gap – Füllkrug set for quick debut
The German international is expected to fill the gap left by Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez’s ankle surgery as quickly as possible. Füllkrug wants to impress national team coach Julian Nagelsmann with good performances in order to fulfill his dream of playing in next summer’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri had already publicly promised his new striker, who has already completed several training sessions with his teammates, a place in the squad for Friday evening’s game against Cagliari Calcio.
In recent months, Füllkrug has been repeatedly set back by injuries, which have made his integration in London considerably more difficult. The 32-year-old striker has been waiting for a goal in the Premier League since the beginning of April.
“Absolutely shitty” start – and hardly any improvement
Füllkrug joined West Ham in the summer of 2024 with high hopes, bringing in just under €30 million for BVB. In December 2024, he had to admit that his start had been “absolutely terrible.” Füllkrug had to wait eight months for his first home goal for his new club. At the beginning of November 2025, his agent spoke openly for the first time about a possible departure.
Because he was hardly in demand at the Hammers, Füllkrug has now made a winter transfer, swapping the English relegation battle for the Italian title race. Coach Allegri’s team currently has the best chance of having a say in the Scudetto for as long as possible. The Rossoneri are just one point behind leaders Inter. For Füllkrug, it will be a matter of settling into a new team and a new league as quickly as possible. Former Leipzig player Christopher Nkunku and American Christian Pulisic, like Füllkrug a former Dortmund player, could help him integrate.
