Niclas Fullkrug’s chances of securing a January escape from West Ham United and the Premier League took a well-timed turn for the better last week.

After rejection after rejection, finally some interest. Some serious interest too.

VFL Wolfsburg want to take Fullkrug back to Germany. And providing they have the money to make a deal happen – Fullkrug reportedly earns £75,000-a-week after tax in England – you can bet your bottom dollar that West Ham United will not be standing in their way.

Why do you think Niclas Fullkrug failed?

And who do you want to replace him at West Ham?

“I think it might make sense to make a change.

“Many would probably agree that Niclas is a classic penalty-area striker, basically made for the Premier League. [But] in retrospect, you have to say the transfer didn’t work. There’s no sugar-coating it.

– agent Thorsten Wirth

Kicker reported in late November that Wolfsburg are ‘seriously considering’ offering the former Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Hannover targetman a fresh start in the Bundesliga.

Now, thanks to a former teammate of his, Niclas Fullkrug may soon have one foot and a few toes out the door at the London Stadium. Negotiations are on ice for now, but expect the heat to rise in the coming days and weeks.

West Ham United’s Niclas Fullkrug could be set for a Wolfsburg reunion

According to Sport BILD, Wolfsburg are set to appoint Pirmin Schwegler as their new sporting director.

While currently working at Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt, the Swiss will leave the Commerzbank Arena for the Volkswagen Arena within the fortnight.

This is significant for two reasons. One, Schwegler expected to drive Wolfsburg’s pursuit of Fullkrug. And two, West Ham’s number eleven is a former teammate of his. They played together at Hannover between 2017 and 2019.

BILD add that the deal to bring Fullkrug to Wolfsburg is ‘on hold’ for now. But surely only until Schwegler gets his feet under the table and picks up where his predecessor left off.

Hammers News reported, shortly after Fullkrug’s agent went public to explain why his spell in English football had not gone to plan, that West Ham will demand a ‘substantial’ sum for a striker they signed for an eye-watering £27 million.

What they consider to be a ‘substantial’ sum, for a 33-year-old, injury-prone centre-forward, remains to be seen.

Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Milan and Roma are looking elsewhere

The Canada head coach has waxed lyrical over the striker. David can become more effective in the final third than Michail Antonio.

The aforementioned Eintracht Frankfurt are going all-in on Newcastle’s Will Osula, having initially shown an interest in Fullkrug. According to BILD, Frankfurt already have an agreement in place regarding the Tyneside-based Dane, having come close to signing Osula for around £30 million over the summer.

Over in Italy, Max Allegri is keeping the faith in Santiago Gimenez amid reports of a January swap deal. And, according to Tuttomercatoweb, early pacesetters Roma have no plans to sign Fullkrug at this stage either.

Promise ‘Baby Lukaku’ David is a potential Fullkrug replacement

In terms of potential replacements, Hammers News have heard that West Ham made an offer for Al-Hilal marksman Marcos Leonardo. Amid incessant links with Ivan Toney, it is another Saudi Arabian-based goalscorer they appear to be making a move for.

“The challenge at Promise David is to find consistency in his performance,” Union SG head coach David Hubert told DH of the powerhouse Canada international, who has scored ten goals in 24 games this term.

“He’s aware of this, although we shouldn’t forget where he comes from. At the beginning of last season, he was nowhere. And although he had a very good period afterward, he remains a young man still in the process. However, he is also someone with exceptional qualities.

“He can make the difference in a single moment, as we saw against Galatasaray. He has exceptional potential and it’s up to us to make the most of it.”