BERLIN (AP) — Wolfsburg reacted to its dramatic fall in fortune with a flurry of activity as the winter transfer window closed in Germany on Monday.
The Volkswagen-backed club was one of the Bundesliga’s busiest in the last days of transfers as it sold top goal-scorer Wout Weghorst, moved on other players, and brought in two more to replace them.
Wolfsburg, which was playing in the Champions League earlier this season, was only two points above the relegation zone after failing to win any of its last 11 games across all competitions.
The 29-year-old Weghorst leaves Wolfsburg as its second-highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga with 59 in 118 games, but rather than chase Edin Džeko’s 66-goal mark from 2007-11, the Dutch forward switched to Burnley, which is bottom of the English Premier League, for a reported fee of 14 million euros ($15.6 million).
Josuha Guilavogui and Daniel Ginczek also left.
Wolfsburg reportedly paid 12 million euros ($13.4 million) to FC Copenhagen for Danish forward Jonas Wind and 5 million ($5.6 million) to high-flying league rival Union Berlin for veteran forward Max Kruse. The club had already signed American winger Kevin Paredes from Major League Soccer team D.C. United on Friday.
Another American, left back George Bello, joined Arminia Bielefeld from Atlanta United. The 20-year-old Bello has six appearances for the national team.
Borussia Mönchengladbach allowed Denis Zakaria to join Juventus for a fee reported to be between 5 to 8 million euros. The Swiss midfielder’s contract with Gladbach was up at the end of the season, when he could have left for free.
Gladbach is enduring a difficult season. Germany defender Matthias Ginter is set to leave at the end of the season.
Hertha Berlin, which is also struggling, announced French winger Kélian Nsona from second-division SM Caen as its fourth signing of the winter transfer period. Hertha previously signed South Korean forward Lee Dong-jun, and defenders Marc Oliver Kempf and Fredrik André Björkan, while a host of players departed the club.
City rival Union Berlin was forced to react to the unexpected sale of Kruse to Wolfsburg. Union signed Sven Michel from second-division Paderborn.
Also, Cologne signed 18-year-old defender Bright Akwo Arrey-Mbi on loan from Bayern Munich, and Stuttgart signed Portugal Under-21s forward Tiago Tomas from Sporting Lisbon.
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