NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Germany striker Nick Woltemade became Newcastle's record signing Saturday after joining from Stuttgart for a reported fee that could total 69 million pounds ($93 million).
Newcastle's move for the 23-year-old Woltemade increases the possibility of Alexander Isak finally leaving for Liverpool, which has already had a bid rejected for the Sweden international in this transfer window.
Woltemade scored 17 goals in 33 games for Stuttgart last season, was the top scorer at the recent under-21 European Championship and made his national-team debut for Germany in June.
“From the first contact, I felt like the club really wanted me and had big plans for me,” said Woltemade, who was reportedly pursued by German champion Bayern Munich for much of the offseason.
“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."
Woltemade started his career at Werder Bremen and was its youngest-ever Bundesliga player, as a 17-year-old in 2020. He spent the last season at Stuttgart, standing out because of his height — 6-foot-6 (1.98 meters) — and technique.
Newcastle has struggled to find a potential replacement for Isak all summer, having also released fellow striker Callum Wilson.
“We’re delighted to get Nick’s signing over the line so quickly," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said. "He fits the profile for exactly what we have been looking to add to our attacking options.
“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."
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Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade controls the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Union Berlin and VfB Stuttgart, at the An der Alten Forsterei stadium in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade leaves the field at the end of the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Union Berlin and VfB Stuttgart, at the An der Alten Forsterei stadium in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media that the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded the Motor Tanker Veronica early Thursday. She said the ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”
Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Galileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
