German legend Lothar Matthaus believes Nick Woltemade will demand “a nine-figure sum” if he leaves Newcastle United in future.
[Matthaus has been speaking to BILD](https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/seine-letzte-einschaetzung-sorgte-fuer-viel-bayern-wirbel-krasse-zahl-matthaeus-nennt-neues-woltemade-preisschild-69037bc1189fb36abbdca106), during which Woltemade was discussed. Matthaus found himself at the centre of his move to Newcastle this summer.
He predicted big things of the striker as he was continually linked with a move to Bayern Munich. They had been chasing the then Stuttgart striker for some time. He was seen as a potential long-term replacement for Harry Kane.
Bayern had refused to pay what Stuttgart wanted, though. They lowballed continually, something which backfired when Newcastle paid €75m and got Woltemade for themselves.
Matthaus had predicted that Woltemade would go for such a fee. Indeed, he believed that the striker was worth €80-100m. His public comments were later criticised by Bayern who felt he’d driven up the striker’s asking price.
Since then, Woltemade has proven worthy of the fee paid for him. He’s bagged six goals in 11 games for Newcastle to date, with three in his last four in the Premier League. Matthaus is pleased by that and thinks Woltemade is already adding to his value.
“Well, first of all, I’m happy for Woltemade that he’s arrived in the Premier League, arrived so quickly,” he said.
“I was also pleased that he scored a beautiful goal with his shoulder against Northern Ireland, where we won 1-0. It was a well-placed goal, his first international goal. These sums aren’t just pulled out of thin air; it’s simply a fair market price, in my opinion.
“Even if opinions differ on that. And I’m all for that, not everyone can have the same opinion. But seeing how quickly he’s settled in at the Premier League, I’d say that if Woltemade were to make a move now, he should… That’s a nine-figure sum, because those four Premier League goals and his first international goal naturally make him a bit more expensive.
“But I hope, and I expect, that he’ll at least settle down a bit during his time at Newcastle before we take the next step.”