Werder Bremen may be about to step up their pursuit of Rangers striker Antonio Colak with star man Niklas Fullkrug turning down a new deal at the Bundesliga outfit.
Should Antonio Colak swap Rangers for Bremen, the Croatia international would certainly have big boots to fill. Literally and figuratively.
Niklas Fullkrug, Werder’s 6ft 2ins battering ram of a number nine, enjoyed something of an annus mirabilis in 2022/23. He finished joint-first with Christopher Nkunku in the Bundesliga’s Golden Boot race, all the while establishing himself as Germany’s first-choice centre-forward at the Qatar World Cup.
But at the age of 30, Fullkrug will be under no illusions that – after a career spent bouncing between the first two tiers – this may be the late-blooming striker’s last chance to secure himself a move to a major European club.
Antonio Colak could leave Rangers for the Bundesliga
According to BILD, Fullkrug has rejected the chance to extend his Werder Bremen contract. The Wester Stadium outfit after offering him a pay rise – around £50,000-a-week – but Fullkrug knows that the chance to join a West Ham, a Fiorentina or a Bayer Leverkusen may not come around again.
And this is where Colak comes in.
Per the Scottish Sun, Werder Bremen are one of a number of clubs looking to bring the former Darmstadt and Nurnburg poacher back to Germany. And while the Green and Whites are currently short of cash – even Rangers’ £2 million asking price may be a little too steep – that will change if West Ham or Bayer Leverkusen are willing to stump up the £17 million required for Fullkrug.
Colak scored 18 goals during an impressive debut season at Ibrox.
But Mick Beale wants a centre-forward with more off-the-ball presence and a dash more pace, with the former PAOK man at risk of falling behind new recruits Cyriel Dessers, Sam Lammers and Abdallah Sima in the Rangers pecking order.
