Newcastle complete club-record £69m deal for Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade
The arrival of the 23-year-old Germany international could help facilitate the departure of Alexander Isak to Liverpool
Newcastle have completed a club-record £69m deal – £6m more than they paid for wantaway striker Alexander Isak three years ago – to sign forward Nick Woltemade from Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
The 23-year-old Germany international becomes the Magpies’ fifth addition of the summer after signing a long-term deal at St James’ Park.
His deal is worth just shy of £65m (€75m) plus £4.3m (€5m), and the signing crucially opens the door for Isak to make his long-desired move to Liverpool.
Woltemade said: “I’m really happy to be at this amazing club. From the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me.
“It’s a big step in my life to leave Germany, but everybody has welcomed me so well and it already feels like family.
“I have a really good feeling from speaking to the head coach that this is the right place for me to find my best level.
“I know the stadium from watching games on television – it looks amazing and I know the atmosphere is crazy. I’m really excited to play and start scoring goals here.”
Woltemade began his career with Werder Bremen and became their youngest-ever Bundesliga player at the age of 17 in 2020.
He joined Stuttgart last summer and scored 17 goals in 33 appearances before finishing as top goalscorer at the Under-21 European Championship.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe added: “We’re delighted to get Nick’s signing over the line so quickly. He fits the profile for exactly what we have been looking to add to our attacking options.
“He’s strong in a lot of areas – he has great technical ability and has proven himself to be a real threat in one of Europe’s top leagues – but he’s also still at an age where he has plenty of room to develop and grow here.
“Nick is a great character too, and we’re really pleased to welcome him to the group.”
The 6ft 6in striker has won two caps for Germany and will wear the number 27 shirt at Newcastle.
With less than three days of the transfer window left, his signing is morale-boosting for the Magpies, who have seen numerous targets, including Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike, overlook them for other clubs.
It also means they have back-up should Isak, who has effectively been on strike, force through a move to Liverpool. The Premier League champions have already had one £110m bid for the Sweden striker rejected.