West Ham are now exploring a fresh avenue to try and offload striker Niclas Fullkrug in the January transfer window.

The German’s spell in East London has never truly got off the ground, and injuries and poor form have both played a part in his consistent struggles since arriving in the Premier League in 2024.

Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that West Ham will not stand in the way of Fullkrug’s departure this winter, after the player and his camp have expressed their desire to move on in recent weeks.

Several clubs have been linked with a move for the 32-year-old of late, but Nuno Espirito Santo and Co. now appear to have changed tack somewhat in their bid to find a potential suitor for their struggling star.

West Ham offer Niclas Fullkrug swap deals to Roma and AC Milan

Football Insider exclusively revealed last week that Werder Bremen are exploring three different options to bring Fullkrug back, after he enjoyed a goal-laden stint there earlier in his career.

There has also been interest from Italy of late, and West Ham now appear keen to try and exploit that for their own benefit during the mid-season window.

The East Londoners have offered the frontman to both Roma and AC Milan of late, and even suggested potential swap deals involving Artem Dovbyk and Santiago Gimenez respectively, according to Tutto Mercato.

However, the pair of Serie A giants have both declined the opportunity provided by the Hammers.

Roma are understood to want a different profile of striker to add to their attack, while Milan want a younger target.

As a result, a move to Italy is now believed to be “complicated” for Fullkrug, and it is noted that a return to the Bundesliga is now the more likely scenario.

David Sullivan is out of touch yet again with Fullkrug swap offer

Dovbyk was the subject of significant Premier League bids in the summer, while Gimenez is now attracting interest from the likes of Sunderland and Brentford once again.

David Sullivan has gained a reputation for being quite out of touch with the reality of the transfer market during his time at the helm, and that has been showcased yet again with these attempted swap deals.

• Fullkrug is yet to score so far in 2025-26
• He managed just thre strikers in 20 games in all competitions last term
• His last competitive goal came way back in April

Fullkrug is significantly older than both Dovbyk and Gimenez, and his goalscoring record over the last 18 months makes for simply grim reading.

With that in mind, the fact that the Hammers seem to view their man as comparable in terms of value to the pair of Serie A hitmen is simply laughable.

They have got the signing of Fullkrug badly wrong, and as a result, they are better served just trying to take whatever cash they can get for him, rather than continuing to try and orchestrate the signing of a replacement as part of the same deal.