VfB Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade is set to join Newcastle United in the final week of the summer transfer window.
The Magpies have agreed a deal with the Bundesliga club and the striker is in the UK to complete his move to St James’ Park.
Bayern Munich showed serious interest in the 23-year-old and even made offers, which were not entertained earlier in this window. Stuttgart were said to be reluctant to sell at anything other than a premium and have now decided to let him join Newcastle.
Last weekend, Stuttgart official Alexander Wehrle said Woltemade will stay, after his failed move to Bayern Munich. Bild relay his comments and then provide a background on this case.
Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeneß was expecting the 23-year-old to be in the squad to face Borussia Mönchengladbach later today. Therefore, he was ‘caught off guard’ when his side entertained Newcastle’s offer of €85m and €5m bonuses.
According to Bild, Hoeneß had ‘no idea’ until Thursday that the Germany international would be joining Eddie Howe’s side. Wehrle and Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth informed the manager that the player has been allowed to negotiate with Newcastle.
Bild state: ‘Hoeneß is not offended by the style of communication but alarmed by the lack of competitiveness.’
The report claim Hoeneß appeared annoyed when discussing Woltemade on Friday. He is said to have pointed out the “tension” between his sporting objectives and the bosses’ financial goals.
“I will not disclose any details about the process to the public,” he said.
“I have to make it clear: Before Nick was transferred, we hadn’t quite succeeded in implementing our plans in the transfer market. Everyone will understand that things have become even more difficult with Nick’s departure. We still have three days to work on it.”