Real Madrid have taken a shine to a West Ham United player as new manager Xabi Alonso wants to address a key issue in the squad, according to two different sources, with the international star’s comments on leaving the Premier League club also coming to light.
After a bitterly disappointing 2024/25 campaign that saw Madrid lose the LaLiga title and the Champions League crown, as well as suffer a defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, Los Blancos have made big statements to get themselves back on track. Xabi Alonso has replaced Carlo Ancelotti as the new Madrid manager and has already been handed three new signings.
Centre-back Dean Huijsen and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold have joined from Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively, while midfielder Franco Mastantuono will link up with the Madrid squad in August following a deal with River Plate.
Recent reports in Spain have claimed that Madrid are also looking for a new striker in the summer transfer window.
The Spanish media have noted that Alonso wants a striker who has a similar profile to Joselu – a player who can come off the bench in matches and can operate in and around the opposition’s penalty box.
Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund and former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino have been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, and now another forward is said to have drawn interest from Madrid.
According to Defensa Central, Madrid have West Ham and Germany international striker Niclas Fullkrug on their radar.
Fullkrug joined West Ham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024 for £25million.
The striker scored 15 goals in 46 appearances for Dortmund in the 2023/24 campaign and also helped the German club reach the final of the Champions League, which they lost to Madrid.
Fullkrug, though, had a torrid time at West Ham last season, as injuries limited the 32-year-old striker to just six starts in the Premier League. The German star ended the 2024/25 campaign with three goals and two assists in 30 appearances for the Hammers.
According to Defensa Central, Alonso has demanded a new striker, and Madrid are now ’considering’ fulfilling his ‘wishes’ and signing ‘a classic No. 9’.
Fullkrug fits Alonso’s ‘demands perfectly’, according to the report, which has noted in the report that the Madrid manager ‘Xabi Alonso wants the West Ham striker if Gonzalo doesn’t stay’.
Gonzalo García has been at Madrid since 2019 and is only 21 years of age. The striker has played a handful of matches for the Madrid first team and is the subject of interest from Getafe, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, and Real Sociedad.
It is not only Defensa Central that has reported Madrid’s shock interest in Fullkrug, with Fichajes also noting that Los Blancos want the West Ham striker.
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Niclas Fullkrug ‘relaxed’ about his future
While the 2024/25 campaign was hugely disappointing for Fullkrug, the striker himself is not thinking about his future.
The West Ham player spoke to Sky Sports Germany on May 31 and said: “I’m completely relaxed about that
“So, I’m not thinking about anything at the moment. It’s taken me the last month to get back to that final fitness, that match fitness.
“I was able to start three games, which is good, but after the injury, it took me a few weeks to finally get back to match fitness, and now I feel good and am happy that I can attack again next season, obviously with a completely different foundation in the background.”
It must be noted that the aforementioned comments were made before Madrid’s interest in Fullkrug came to light.
If Los Blancos do press ahead with their interest in the Germany international striker, then it is hard to see the 32-year-old turn them down to stay at West Ham.
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