By Thomas Eßer and Lars Reinefeld, dpa
DORTMUND – Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug didn’t join team training on Thursday ahead of a reported transfer to Borussia Dortmund.
“Regarding Niclas, we are in talks with a club and have largely reached an agreement. There are still a few details to clarify, therefore, I don’t want to mention a name,” Bremen head of football Clemens Fritz said.
“It’s an option that suits both sides,” Fritz added.
According to media reports, Füllkrug will sign a three-year contract with Dortmund, who are expected to pay a fee of €15 million ($16.3 million) for the player. The Deichstube news portal said that Füllkrug has arrived in Dortmund on Thursday morning to clarify the final details of the transfer, but Dortmund coach Edin Terzic didn’t want to comment on the possible transfer.
“As far as I know, Niclas Füllkrug is a Werder Bremen player. That’s why I don’t want to talk about where he is now and what he is doing,” Terzic said during a news conference on Thursday.
Füllkrug would be a replacement for Sebastien Haller, who’s expected to play for the Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from mid-January to mid-February. This means he would miss a handful of Bundesliga fixtures, and could also miss matches in the German Cup and Champions League.
Füllkrug was last season’s Bundesliga top scorer with 16 goals alongside then RB Leipzig winger Christopher Nkunku. He has a contract with Bremen until June 2025, but his good performances also for the Germany national team have attracted the attention of other European clubs.
Germany coach Hansi Flick, who called up Füllkrug to his squad for friendly games in September, told the media on Thursday that “there is no doubt” that Füllkrug can help Dortmund “with his personality, with his quality.”
“The options that he had or has, they are already good. Ultimately, he must also decide for himself, where does he have the chance to play, where does he feel comfortable, which club suits him,” Flick said.
