“They’ll stop at nothing to sign Niclas Füllkrug!” Could a shock transfer rescue the struggling DFB star?

With three matchdays left, VfL Wolfsburg are in a direct relegation place, one point behind 16th-placed FC St. Pauli, who hold the relegation-playoff spot. The two cellar dwellers will meet on the final day at the Millerntor.

With a six-point deficit to Hamburg and a far inferior goal difference of −25, safety now looks remote. Yet the daunting run-in could paradoxically give VfL a slender lifeline to avoid immediate relegation. 

In the next fortnight, Wolfsburg face SC Freiburg and FC Bayern, the only two German clubs still chasing a place in the European Cup final, and both have little left to play for domestically. Only Freiburg, level with Eintracht Frankfurt, still eye seventh spot.

Füllkrug is currently on loan at AC Milan from West Ham United, but has no future at the club and will return to London in the summer. The 33-year-old had hoped to use goals and regular playing time at the Rossoneri to put himself back in contention for the German World Cup squad, but in Milan he is currently merely a substitute and has scored just one goal.

Although he is under contract at the Hammers until 2028, he is expected to depart permanently this summer. “They would let him go almost for free; they want him off the payroll,” claimed Plettenberg.

Wolfsburg are already working on a move for the striker, partly because they want a figurehead capable of lifting the dressing-room mood. Plettenberg notes that Füllkrug’s Lower Saxony roots could help Wolfsburg make a persuasive pitch. The 24-cap international was born in Hanover and made his breakthrough at Hannover 96 and Werder Bremen, despite injury setbacks.

In 2023 he moved from Werder to Borussia Dortmund for around €17 million, becoming a key attacker for a season under Edin Terzic, scoring 15 goals and providing ten assists in 43 competitive matches. En route to the Champions League final against Real Madrid (0-2), he netted decisive goals in the second leg of the quarter-final versus Atlético Madrid and the first leg of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

After just one season he moved to West Ham United for €27 million to fulfil his dream of playing in the Premier League, but that move soon turned into a nightmare. Recurrent muscle injuries have kept him sidelined for long spells, costing him his place at club and country level. To date he has managed only three goals in 29 appearances for the Hammers.

Wolfsburg is not the only club eyeing Füllkrug: FC Schalke 04 has also emerged as a suitor. The Royal Blues are poised to return to the Bundesliga and may need to replace Edin Dzeko this summer.

The 40-year-old arrived on a free transfer in winter after a disastrous spell at Fiorentina and instantly became a key figure in the promotion push, scoring six goals and providing three assists in eight league outings. He is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury. 

In the summer he will captain Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup for the first time since 2014. If Schalke do secure promotion, Dzeko may see that as the perfect finale to his career and retire after the tournament.