Woltemade joins Newcastle for club-record fee as Howe boosts striker options

Newcastle United have smashed their club-record transfer fee after signing Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade on a long-term deal.

Eddie Howe's side have reportedly splashed £73.5m (€85m) on the two-cap Germany international, beating the £63m they paid for Alexander Isak three years ago.

Yoane Wissa and Jorgen Strand Larsen, both of whom could still arrive at St. James' Park, had been reported targets for much of the transfer window amid uncertainty about Isak's future.

However, Woltemade emerged as another option this week before travelling to Tyneside for his medical on Friday, with the deal confirmed a day later.

"I'm really happy to be at this amazing club. From the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me," Woltemade said to the club's official media.

"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.

"I know the stadium from watching games on television; it looks amazing and I know the atmosphere is crazy. I'm really excited to play and start scoring goals here."

Woltemade joined Stuttgart on a free transfer from Werder Bremen last season, going on to score 17 goals in 33 games.

The towering forward then finished the Under-21s European Championship as top scorer, finding the net six times for Germany and reportedly drew interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

But Newcastle have swooped in to capture the signature of the 23-year-old, who Howe will hope is an instant hit at St. James' Park amid growing expectations his arrival could see Isak join Liverpool.

"We're delighted to get Nick's signing over the line so quickly. He fits the profile for exactly what we have been looking to add to our attacking options," Howe said.

"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.

"Nick is a great character too and we're really pleased to welcome him to the group."

Woltemade could prove to be a capable replacement, considering only Kylian Mbappe (10.9) and Mohamed Salah (10.3) managed more than his 9.4 touches in the opposition box since the start of last season across Europe's top five leagues.

He also averaged two or more aerial duels won, shots and chances created from open play per 90 minutes in the 2024-25 Bundesliga, with Thomas Muller (four times) the only other German player to do so since detailed data collection began in 2004-05.

Luca Waldschmidt in 2019 (seven goals) is also the only player to have found the net more for Germany in a single edition of the Under-21 European Championship, just edging Woltemade's six in 2025.

Newcastle are yet to confirm whether Woltemade was registered in time for Saturday's visit to Leeds United in the Premier League.