Chelsea appear set to miss out on Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, who has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to join Bayern Munich this summer.
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The 23-year-old forward, who joined Stuttgart on a free transfer last year, enjoyed a breakout season in the Bundesliga, scoring 17 goals across all competitions and helping his side lift the DFB-Pokal. ..Continue Reading
His impressive form has continued into the European Under-21 Championship, where he has netted six goals for Germany ahead of their final against England.
Chelsea had been monitoring Woltemade closely and even held discussions with his representatives earlier this month.
However, according to Sky Germany, the striker has now committed to a long-term deal with Bayern, with personal terms already agreed.
Stuttgart, who finished ninth in the league, are reportedly frustrated by Bayern’s direct approach, especially since Woltemade still has three years left on his contract.
Despite the agreement with the player, Bayern have yet to begin formal negotiations with Stuttgart, who are said to be demanding a fee in the region of €100 million (£85.4 million).
While Chelsea had hoped to add Woltemade to their attacking ranks, it now seems the highly-rated German forward is bound for the Allianz Arena.
‘The fact that this development hasn’t gone unnoticed by others and that we now read about interest from other clubs almost every day doesn’t change the fact that Nick’s journey with us is far from over,’ Stuttgart’s sporting director, Fabian Wohlgemuth, said this week.
‘We are firmly planning with Nick and want to benefit from his athletic qualities in the coming year as well. There is no alternative planning scenario for this.’
Kicker reported on Saturday that Bayern had hoped to secure a deal for around €50m (£42.7m), but Stuttgart are demanding a package worth €100m (£85.4m).
When asked about Bayern’s approach for Woltemade this week, the German club’s president, Herbert Hainer, said: ‘All I can say is that Nick Woltemade has developed well at Stuttgart and that we as Germany fans are happy he is playing for the Under-21s and scoring many goals.
‘He’s playing a very, very good season. But whether he’ll ever play for Bayern is written in the stars.’
Bayern’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, also said this week: ‘Nick is playing very well. He’s a player who’s very interesting.’
On Friday, Woltemade refused to answer questions about his future when asked about his link with a transfer move to Bayern.
‘We’re playing a final tomorrow, that’s the only focus,’ Woltemade said.
‘There are always things happening around you. It doesn’t just affect me, but the others too.
‘This is the only chance in my life to win the Under-21 title and I want to do it.’
