West Ham transfer announcement date revealed as blacked-out SUV spotted
Niclas Fullkrug will officially join AC Milan on 2 January after he was seen leaving their headquarters following the signing of his contract.
Fullkrug has struggled to ever make much of an impact at West Ham since his big-money switch from Borussia Dortmund last year.
The 32-year-old striker scored just three times in 20 appearances in his debut campaign at the club amid injury issues, yet failed to secure a move away from the East London outfit in the summer.
He has only played nine times this season, with five league starts so far, and Football Insider recently revealed that West Ham planned to accept offers for Fullkrug in January after a poor start to the campaign.
AC Milan have led the race to sign Fullkrug in recent weeks, despite a move back to the Bundesliga being touted, and he has now signed a loan deal with the Italian giants ahead of the move next month.
Fullkrug will officially join Milan on 2 January as contract signed
Milan have agreed to sign Fullkrug on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, and they are also covering his wages, but the Hammers were unable to convince them to include an obligation to a permanent deal next summer [The Guardian].
He has not played for West Ham since 30 November, or been included in a matchday squad since 7 December, and it seems unlikely that he will feature for the club again this term.
The 32-year-old could still be available until the winter window opens, though, with Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that an official announcement “will come only on 2 January” after Fullkrug was seen leaving Milan’s headquarters in a blacked-out SUV.
West Ham are targeting new striker arrivals to replace Fullkrug in January
Callum Wilson has emerged as Nuno Espirito Santo’s first-choice striker in recent weeks after a decent run of scoring form pushed him in front of Fullkrug in the manager’s pecking order.
Despite his decent showings, the Hammers are still very clearly lacking in attack and so are tracking different forwards with Fullkrug set to depart.
Football Insider recently revealed that Norwich are set to price West Ham out of a move for Josh Sargent as they track his services, with Swansea City’s Zan Vipotnik also eyed by the Irons as they look to swoop for some top Championship talent.
Milan’s Santiago Gimenez has also been linked to West Ham, with a potential swap deal of sorts in the offing, but that move is now off the table as he faces a spell out injured following ankle surgery.