Newcastle United have completed a club record deal for VfB Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade, the Premier League club said in a statement on Saturday.
The club didn’t disclose details of the deal, but according to media reports, Woltemade signed a contract until June 2031 and Newcastle paid a transfer fee between £69 million ($93.18 million) and £78 million.
The sum eclipses the £63 million Newcastle paid to make Alexander Isak the most expensive player in the club’s history three years ago.
“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,” Woltemade said.
The 23-year-old Germany international started his career with Werder Bremen before making the switch to Stuttgart last summer and quickly establishing himself as one of the top forwards in the Bundesliga.
With Woltemade, Stuttgart won the German Cup last season.
“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,” Newcastle coach Eddie Howe said.
Woltemade was at the top of Bayern Munich’s transfer targets this summer, but the German champions couldn’t compete with the Premier League’s financial power.
Bayern had three bids for Woltemade rejected earlier by Stuttgart, the latest said to be in the region of €60 million ($70.11 million).
Earlier in summer Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz had snubbed Bayern and moved to Liverpool for a deal that could amount to more than €150 million.
Woltemade’s departure is a loss for Stuttgart, but they have avoided selling him to a Bundesliga rival and picked up a huge fee.
His arrival at Newcastle potentially opens the door to Isak’s departure.
Isak has refused to play for Newcastle in a bid to force through a switch to Liverpool, with the Premier League champions having already had one £110 million bid for the Sweden striker rejected.