Niclas Fullkrug's difficult spell in East London may be coming to an end. According to Sky Deutschland and transfer insider Florian Plettenberg, the German striker is set to complete a loan return to Werder Bremen, with the 33-year-old flying to Bremen to undergo a medical this week ahead of a season-long move with no purchase option attached.
West Ham paid Borussia Dortmund around £27 million for Fullkrug in the summer of 2024, bringing in a player fresh off a Champions League final appearance and a reputation as one of the Bundesliga's most reliable finishers. It never translated. Across his time at the London Stadium, Fullkrug managed just three goals in 29 appearances in all competitions, with recurring injury problems repeatedly interrupting any rhythm he found. A loan to AC Milan in the second half of last season was supposed to offer a reset; instead he managed a single goal in 20 appearances there and didn't do enough to earn a permanent move. By the time he returned to West Ham this summer, the writing was already on the wall. He wasn't handed a squad number for the new season and had been training away from the first team. It was clear he was not going to be part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans despite a lack of depth.
🚨💥 BREAKING | Niclas Füllkrug to Werder Bremen - DONE DEAL ✔️
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 17, 2026
Full agreement reached with West Ham United. Füllkrug will fly to Germany today. His medical is scheduled for Tuesday.
The 33 y/o striker returns on loan without an option to buy and is willing to waive part of his… pic.twitter.com/h3JYhkYW5G
The move represents a genuine homecoming. Fullkrug’s first opportunity to start for a bigger club came during his time at Werder following the club's relegation, ironic considering West Ham’s current situation. Playing alongside Marvin Ducksch, he scored 19 times as Werder won immediate promotion back to the Bundesliga in 2021-22, then followed it up with 16 league goals the next season to top the Bundesliga's scoring charts outright. That form also transformed his international standing. Fullkrug made his Germany debut at 29 and quickly became a fixture in the squad, a rise that eventually earned him a move to Dortmund in 2023 before West Ham came calling a year later.
Getting the deal done required real compromise on Fullkrug's part. He's under contract at West Ham until 2028 and has been earning close to €4.5 million net a year in the Premier League which are figures Werder simply can't match. Reports in Germany indicate he's agreed to take a significant pay cut to facilitate the move, with the loan itself carrying no fee for Werder to cover. West Ham, for their part, had previously wanted a fee for Fullkrug and saw a proposed move to Venezia collapse over valuation disagreements, before ultimately softening their stance and agreeing to let him leave on loan rather than continue paying a player with no obvious route back into Nuno’s squad.
For Werder, in the middle of a pre-season short on attacking end product, bringing back a fit, familiar face who once helped drag the club back into the Bundesliga looks like a low-risk move. For West Ham, its step in the direction of finally ridding themselves of a move that was a knee jerk reaction by David Sullivan and then technical director Tim Steidten.
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