West Ham Star ‘Needs To Free Himself’ To Help Move Happen | OneFootball

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

West Ham United star Niclas Fullkrug ‘needs to free himself’ from the Hammers in order to make a move to Italian Serie A club Venezia happen.

Fullkrug arrived at West Ham in 2024 following an impressive spell in Germany with the Irons paying far less than widely reported £27m fee to sign the striker.

The German struggled to make an impression at the London Stadium this term, with his campaign disrupted by injuries after October and he was eventually sent on a loan spell to AC Milan in January.

The 33-year-old endured a disappointing spell in Italy as well, managing to score just one goal in the 20 appearances he made for the Rossoneri, meaning they are not triggering their option to buy.

Fullkrug’s poor form ultimately cost him his place in Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany World Cup squad after previously featuring at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Now West Ham have been relegated they have more reasons to offload Fullkrug from the wage bill, though the German was expected to leave no matter what happened.

Italian side Venezia appear to be the frontrunners to sign the 33-year-old this summer, with the club considering him a ‘highly sought after’ player. 

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Venezia view Fullkrug as their priority attacking target, but the emphasis is on the striker to help the move happen.

Fullkrug ‘needs to free himself’ from West Ham, it is suggested.

The Italian side are unlikely to have a clear run at signing the striker as Fullkrug has emerged as an option for MLS clubs, while he has also been looked at by Wolfsburg.

West Ham do need to raise money through player sales after relegation, but could struggle to get a fee for Fullkrug.

However, offloading the 33-year-old will get his wages off the bill at West Ham, something which will be badly needed this summer.

The Hammers are expected to be active in the summer market as they look to build a squad capable of pushing for promotion, though decisions will need to be made over which players are prepared for Championship football and which will be moved on.