2 weeks ago
21
€90m all in
©TM/IMAGO
Nick Woltemade is set to join Newcastle United from VfB Stuttgart. Transfermarkt can confirm an initial report by the Daily Mail that the Premier League club has reached an agreement to sign the German national team forward. Both sides reached an agreement while club officials were in Monaco for the draw of UEFA’s club competitions. Newcastle are set to pay a club record €85 million plus €5m in easy-to-reach add-ons. The fee pulverizes the €35m record transfer Stuttgart received for selling Benjamin Pavard to Bayern Munich in 2019. Woltemade is set to head to England to complete the medical and has already said goodbye to his teammates. Stuttgart confirmed talks with a "European club" on their club page on Thursday evening, stating that "a decision is to be expected by Friday."
The 23-year-old striker has been in the news all summer as Bayern Munich made several attempts to sign the striker. The Bundesliga giants offered €60m, including bonuses, which was not enough for Stuttgart’s decision-makers, who ended the talks with the Munich club ahead of the Franz-Beckenbauer-Supercup. Stuttgart always considered Woltemade’s evaluation above the €75m all-in Bayern Munich paid for Luis Díaz. “All sides have been informed,” Stuttgart director of sport Fabian Wolgemuth said to the media following the German Supercup. “There will be no transfer to Bayern Munich this summer.”
Indeed, Stuttgart were always clear in their evaluation of the player. The Swabians looked to their Bundesliga competitor Eintracht Frankfurt, who received €95m for striker Hugo Ekitiké from Liverpool. Ekitiké was also in talks with Newcastle United but ultimately opted to join Liverpool instead. Sources with direct knowledge of the talks have pointed out to Transfermarkt that Woltemade’s underlying stats are very much identical to Ekitiké's, and that would influence their evaluation of the player. With that in mind, Bayern’s offers were never acceptable for Stuttgart’s decision-makers.
To replace Alexander Isak? – Why Newcastle are desperate to sign Woltemade
Newcastle, in the meantime, had no issues meeting Stuttgart’s evaluation, especially as the Magpies are in a bit of a desperate situation. Not only did Eddie Howe’s side miss out on Ekitiké and Benjamin Sesko this summer already, but they are also still in danger of losing star striker Alecander Isak. The 25-year-old Swedish star has made it clear that he wants to leave the club and join Liverpool. The Reds are understood to have offered in the region of €130m for Isak. Transfermarkt understands that for now, Liverpool are not set to make another offer until Newcastle indicates that they are willing to talk. Signing Woltemade could now increase that willingness on Newcastle’s side.
With all that in mind, it makes sense why Newcastle are set to make Woltemade one of the ten most expensive Bundesliga players in history. But what sort of player is Woltemade? “His vision and dribbling are amazing,” Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor said in an interview with Gegenpressing when asked about Woltemade. Although physically imposing at over 198cm (6’5’) in height, Woltemade is best with the ball at his feet. In addition to playing as a center-forward, Woltemade can also be deployed as a no.10 and on the wing. Very good in one-v-one situations and in tight spaces, Woltemade also has an incredible shot. Additionally, the striker also worked on improving his physical presence over the summer and can now be utilized as a target man. Perhaps the biggest shortcoming is that he is still a bit raw and lacks experience at the highest level. Having said that, that’s not too different from Isak before he was turned into a world-class striker by Howe at Newcastle.
