Nick Woltemade poses transfer ‘problem’ for Newcastle - with Dietmar Hamann highlighting ‘best solution’ for German striker ahead of summer deadline

Newcastle parted with a club-record fee when snapping Woltemade up from Stuttgart in late August 2025. With Bayern Munich refusing to meet ever-increasing demands from domestic rivals, the path was cleared for the Magpies to complete a £69 million ($93m) deal.

A winning goal on debut against Wolves endeared the 24-year-old to a loyal fan base in the North East of England, but he put through his own net against arch-rivals Sunderland a matter of weeks later.

He ended the season in double figures, having found the target on 11 occasions across all competitions, but a guaranteed starting berth proved difficult to nail down. That has remained the case after seeing Eddie Howe pass managerial reins to Matthias Jaissle.

With Yoane Wissa and Will Osula leading the line, questions are being asked of whether Woltemade has a long-term future at Newcastle.

Quizzed on whether another move could be the best option for all parties, with a place in Germany’s squad also needing to be factored into the equation, ex-Magpies midfielder Hamann - speaking in association with Betinia - told GOAL when discussing his fellow countryman: “The problem is if you pay so much money. Bayern Munich bid 55 or 60 million, and then Newcastle turn up and they pay 85 or 90. So, I think it was a pretty easy decision for Stuttgart to let him go at the time.

“And he started well, and then he hit a brick wall for some reason. I heard reports in Germany that he’s not settled. Well, I thought, I can't really see that with a young lad going there. Obviously, I've been there. If he's got a bit of success, there's not many better places than Newcastle to play. The fans are absolutely outstanding.

“And if a German manager hadn't come in the summer, I would have said he's definitely going. Now there might be a chance because I hear that he's tried to fit him in and try to get the best out of him.

“But I think probably for both parties, the best would be if there was a solution being maybe a loan for a year with an option to buy. But the problem, as I said, is if you pay so much money, I don't think they get the money back they paid for him. So, you're looking at a loan, hoping to do well in an option if he plays a certain amount of games or goals he scores.

“The other thing is in Germany, there's not too many clubs able to afford such a fee. It's probably only Bayern Munich. Dortmund at a push, but they bought a couple of players this season. So, there's only so many clubs. We're probably talking two or three clubs who can even take in a loan because he's probably on a hefty wage as well.”

Dortmund have been tentatively linked with a late-window swoop for Woltemade, with Bayern no longer interested in acquiring the languid frontman as prolific England captain continues to lead the line for them.

A switch to Italy has also been mooted, with Juventus and Napoli among those supposedly keen on taking the German striker to Serie A. Newcastle may decide to fend off all advances, with the Magpies having already parted with Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon in what has been a testing summer on Tyneside.