GdS: ‘Fullkrug day’ – the two reasons Milan closed deal quickly with arrival imminent

Niclas Fullkrug will be AC Milan’s first signing of the winter window, and he is already preparing to fly over from London.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report, Füllkrug will be in Milano before Christmas for a medical. An agreement has been reached between Milan and West Ham: a free loan, with the Rossoneri paying the player €1.3m net in wages (he even made a financial sacrifice to come to Milan).

The only thing left to decide is the option to buy figure. The German has let West Ham know that he no longer wants to return to London and is pushing for a low fee, much lower than the €13m initially requested. Füllkrug is coming to Milan to stay, and he knows the only way to do that is to score.

Immediate arrival

The plan is for Füllkrug to train immediately. If the contracts are finalised today, the player could be in Italy as early as this evening or tomorrow morning. The club’s intention is for him to undergo a medical before Christmas (or immediately after) and then have him join up with the team.

Even though he cannot be registered until January 2, he is allowed to arrive and train. All that’s needed is the clearance from West Ham. That’s why Niclas will be working with his team-mates as early as the end of 2025, preparing for his debut against Genoa on January 8th.

This season, the 32-year-old played his last two Premier League games at the end of November, after overcoming a muscle injury that kept him out for about 40 days. However, he then fell out with the Hammers, who had acquired him for €26m plus €4m in bonuses in 2024.

CEO Giorgio Furlani and sporting director Igli Tare were able to complete the deal quickly for two reasons: 1) With Gimenez expected to be out for six to eight weeks (or perhaps longer), Allegri immediately needed a fourth striker; 2) Füllkrug has the technical and physical qualities needed.

Signing a player who has scored 14 goals in 24 games for the German national team (his last appearances were last June, after overcoming an Achilles tendon problem) on a free loan was by no means a given.