Berlin: Germany striker Sandro Wagner has signed a one-year contract extension with Hoffenheim that will keep him at the Bundesliga team until 2020, the club announced on Sunday.
The tall striker, who at 29 won his first international caps as part of the Confederations Cup-winning team earlier this month, scored 11 times and set up four goals in his 31 league matches last season.
Hoffenheim finished fourth — their best ever showing — and will play in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
“Sandro is a great finisher and added new components to our game last season,” said Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“He keeps opponents busy, he pushes teammates and is also an important personality in the changing room.”
Wagner came through the Bayern Munich youth ranks but failed to earn a regular spot in the senior team and, after spells at half a dozen clubs, he signed for Hoffenheim in 2016.
Nico Schulz, meanwhile, has joined Hoffenheim from league rivals Borussia Monchengladbach, both Bundesliga clubs confirmed in an official statement.
The 24-year-old defender put pen to paper on a three-year deal on Saturday, which ties him to Hoffenheim until summer 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.
“Nico Schulz has exactly the profile we have been looking for to make our squad more variable. He is furthermore one of the fastest players in the league and fits with his left hammer and speed very well into the team,” Hoffenheim’s sporting director Alexander Rosen said.
Schulz is a home-grown talent from Hertha Berlin where he made his breakthrough as a senior professional in 2010.
After five years at Berlin and two goals in 92 appearances, Schulz agreed on a transfer to Monchengladbach where he spent most of the time on the bench due to injuries in the last two years.
“After a difficult time at Monchengladbach, I feel very good now. I am ready and can’t wait to prove myself at Hoffenheim,” Schulz told the club’s official homepage.
