West Ham Ready To Sell Their €27M Star For Cheap: Are They Getting This Right? | OneFootball

West Ham are preparing to sell their German centre-forward Niclas Füllkrug this summer for little more than a token fee, according to Sky Sports Germany. The striker arrived at the London Stadium in the summer of 2024 with a strong reputation built on prolific spells at Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund, but things fell apart quickly. West Ham paid around €27m to bring him from Dortmund, a fee that now looks deeply uncomfortable given how his stint played out.

West Ham Eye Bargain Sale Of Injury-Hit Striker This Summer

A serious injury disrupted his debut season, and the club’s subsequent relegation from the Premier League has rendered his wages unsustainable. West Ham were relegated to the second tier after finishing 18th and are expected to struggle financially, particularly covering his estimated annual salary of around €4.5m. He then spent the second half of the 2025/26 campaign on loan at AC Milan, making 19 appearances, 16 of which came off the bench, and scoring just once.

Milan will not activate the purchase option, so he returns to West Ham under a contract running until 2028 but with no realistic future at the club. Reports now suggest West Ham could pursue a contract termination and are considering either a free transfer or a nominal fee combined with a severance package to get him off the wage bill. Werder Bremen have already opened initial talks and see a genuine opportunity to bring him back to Germany, though concerns persist around his salary and injury record. Clubs from Italy, Spain, and MLS are also interested, giving the West Ham striker a range of options as he seeks a fresh start.

Interest from Fiorentina and other Italian clubs exists, alongside admiring glances from MLS franchises, though a Bundesliga return remains the most likely outcome for a player who grew up near Hannover and built his name along the Weser.

Are West Ham Getting This Right?

LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 30: Niclas Fullkrug of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium on November 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

This decision is hard to fault. West Ham are now a Championship club, and carrying a striker earning close to €4.5m a year would be an anchor around a squad that needs rebuilding fast. They paid heavily for him; he scored three league goals in 26 appearances, picked up persistent injuries, and never found the level that made him so dangerous at Borussia Dortmund.

Sentimentality has no place in the finances of a relegated club. The real question is whether West Ham should have assessed Füllkrug’s injury history more carefully before spending €27m on a 31-year-old in 2024. That recruitment call looks poor in hindsight. Cutting losses now is rational, but the mistake happened two summers ago. Getting even a modest fee back is arguably the best possible outcome, and West Ham need to move forward with younger, more durable options if they are to stand any chance of returning to the Premier League quickly.