In a last-minute twist just 24 hours before the close of the Bundesliga transfer window, Borussia Dortmund has secured the signing of German international striker Niclas Füllkrug from Werder Bremen. On Thursday morning, Füllkrug was already in Dortmund for his medical exam, according to Bild, Sky Germany and Sport1.

A second division striker for much of his career, Füllkrug will now compete with Dortmund in three competitions — Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal (German cup) in the 2023/24 season.

It is potentially a career-defining transfer for Füllkrug, 29, who has been named today in Hansi Flick's Germany squad for the upcoming fixtures against Japan and France.

Werder Bremen will receive a base transfer fee of €13 million for their departing star striker, SportBild reported. According to Sport1, another German sports portal, additional performance-based bonus payments could increase the fee to €15 million total.

Füllkrug was the Bundesliga's joint top goalscorer in the 2022/23 season, where he netted 16 goals for Werder Bremen. (Christopher Nkunku, who signed for Chelsea FC this summer, was joint top goalscorer with 16 goals for RB Leipzig)

At Borussia Dortmund, Füllkrug will sign a three-year contract running until 2026 and earn an annual salary of €6 million, according to Sport1, making it by far the most lucrative and prestigious contract in his career.

The late transfer and the significant financial outlay show Dortmund’s urgency to bolster their attacking options, especially after a less-than-convincing start to the season. In the first two Bundesliga games against Cologne (1-0 victory) and away at Bochum (1-1 tie), Dortmund under-performed expectations, scoring just two goals in two matches and dropping points against a club that was almost relegated last season.

Just nine months ahead of the Euros 2024, which will be held in Germany, Füllkrug is taking a calculated risk. He leaves Werder Bremen, where he was a guaranteed starter, for Borussia Dortmund, where he faces stiff competition from French forward Sebastien Haller and young German international Youssoufa Moukoko.

Despite this, the transfer aligns with Dortmund's search profile for a second "clear target player" who can hold onto the ball and set up other teammates, as specified by Dortmund’s coach Edin Terzic. Anthony Modeste fulfilled this role in the previous season, but left the club in the summer per mutual agreement.

Dortmund's signing of Füllkrug comes after two previous blockbuster deals BVB VB completed in the summer 2023 transfer window: German international Felix Nmecha was signed for €30 million from Wolfsburg, while Marcel Sabitzer joined from domestic rivals Bayern Munich for a transfer fee of €19 million.

Dortmund acquired Nmecha and Sabitzer to fill the void left behind by teenage superstar Jude Bellingham, who Real Madrid bought from BVB for €103 million in early June.

Füllkrug’s signing will bring Dortmund's total spending in the 2023 summer transfer window to around €62 million.