Werder Bremen aims to strengthen several positions before the deadline day. One of the biggest problem areas is the striker position, where a top goalscorer is missing. Recently, a reigning top scorer was considered the favorite at the green-and-whites, but a shift now appears to be taking shape.

Quantitatively, Werder Bremen has no apparent need for another center forward at first glance: World Cup participant Cedric Itten arrived on a free transfer from Düsseldorf, academy product Salim Musah impressed during preseason, and new signing Kenny Quetant, returning player Dawid Kownacki, and Keke Topp, who will be sidelined for several more months following his cruciate ligament injury, are also in the squad of the Hanseatic club.

Yet the club's decision-makers want to make another move in the transfer market, after all, Werder Bremen had the second-worst attack in the previous season. With Quetant, who still has adjustment problems, and Kownacki, who is considered a sales candidate, manager Daniel Thioune cannot necessarily rely on them.

In Tomas Bobcek, the 2025/2026 top scorer of the Polish league, a desired player for the number nine position seemed to have been found, but his club Lechia Gdansk demanded a transfer fee of between eight and ten million euros for the Slovak. For this reason, it appears the club at the Weser has now reoriented itself.

On Sunday evening, Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio revealed that two Bundesliga clubs are actively pursuing Dutch striker Thijs Dallinga from Bologna FC. One of them is Werder Bremen, and a move to one of the two clubs is taking shape.

Shortly thereafter, Nicolo Schira, also a transfer market expert, reported via X about ongoing talks between the green-and-whites and the Serie A club.

Werder Bremen could pursue a loan model

Dallinga is contracted to Bologna until 2028, but has never matched his top performances from his time at Toulouse there. The 26-year-old could potentially join Werder on a loan basis, which certainly wouldn't hurt the budget of the financially constrained northern German club.

Another potential advantage: Bremen and Dallinga's hometown of Groningen are only about two hours apart by car. Could the former international player, who earned one cap, be the missing puzzle piece for Werder?