Newcastle United Breaks the Bank to Acquire Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart

Medical completed

Nick Woltemade is on the verge of joining Newcastle United from VfB Stuttgart. Transfermarkt confirms that the Premier League side has finalized an agreement to acquire the German national team forward, following an initial report by the Daily Mail. This deal was reached while club officials were in Monaco for the UEFA club competition draw, and Woltemade successfully completed his medical examination on Friday. He is expected to sign a contract that runs until 2031 on Saturday. Newcastle will pay a club record fee of €85 million, plus an additional €5 million in performance-related bonuses, surpassing the €35 million Stuttgart previously received from Bayern Munich for Benjamin Pavard in 2019. Woltemade is preparing to head to England to finalize the medical process and has said his goodbyes to his teammates. Stuttgart confirmed on their official page that talks were ongoing with a “European club” and anticipated a decision by Friday.

The 23-year-old striker has garnered significant attention this summer, particularly from Bayern Munich, who attempted multiple times to secure his services. They offered €60 million, including bonuses, which was deemed insufficient by Stuttgart, leading to the termination of discussions prior to the Franz-Beckenbauer Supercup. Stuttgart management maintained that Woltemade’s valuation was consistently higher than the €75 million Bayern paid for Luis Díaz. Stuttgart’s director of sport, Fabian Wohlgemuth, addressed the media after the German Supercup, affirming that there would be no transfer to Bayern Munich this summer.

Stuttgart have consistently been firm in their valuation of Woltemade. They looked to Eintracht Frankfurt as a comparison, noting the €95 million fee received for striker Hugo Ekitiké from Liverpool. Ekitiké was also linked with Newcastle United but ultimately chose Liverpool. Sources familiar with the negotiations have indicated to Transfermarkt that Woltemade’s statistical performance closely mirrors that of Ekitiké, influencing Stuttgart’s valuation. Thus, Bayern’s offers were never deemed satisfactory by Stuttgart’s executives.

To replace Alexander Isak? – Newcastle’s urgency in signing Woltemade

Meanwhile, Newcastle has shown a willingness to meet Stuttgart’s asking price, particularly given their current predicament. Not only did Eddie Howe’s side miss out on Ekitiké and Benjamin Sesko this summer, but they also face the potential loss of star striker Alexander Isak. The 25-year-old Swedish forward has expressed a desire to leave and join Liverpool, who have reportedly made a bid around €130 million. According to Transfermarkt, Liverpool will not submit another offer until Newcastle signals a willingness to negotiate. Securing Woltemade could incentivize Newcastle to consider discussions regarding Isak’s future.

Considering all these factors, it’s understandable why Newcastle is poised to make Woltemade one of the ten most expensive Bundesliga players in history. But what type of player is Woltemade? “His vision and dribbling are exceptional,” said Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor in an interview with Gegenpressing when discussing Woltemade. Despite his tall stature at over 198cm (6’5”), Woltemade excels with the ball at his feet. He can serve not only as a center-forward but also as a no.10 or winger. Proficient in one-on-one scenarios and tight spaces, his striking ability is impressive. Furthermore, he focused on enhancing his physicality over the summer and is now capable of playing as a target man. However, one notable drawback is his relative inexperience at the top level. Nonetheless, this is reminiscent of Isak’s development before he became a world-class striker under Howe at Newcastle.