Striker Niclas Füllkrug will not be part of Germany's World Cup squad while there will be a role for rising goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, German news reports said on the eve of Thursday's nomination.
The Bild paper and Sky TV said that coach Julian Nagelsmann will not include the AC Milan player Füllkrug into his 26-player squad for the June 11-July 19 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Füllkrug, 33, has 24 Germany caps and 14 goals. But his last goal dates back to September 2024 and he missed all of World Cup qualifying for injury reasons.
Füllkrug joined Milan on loan in January from parent club West Ham United. He expressed confidence that he would be part of the World Cup squad but has managed only one goal in 19 Milan appearances.
Sky also said that the VfB Stuttgart trio of Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling and Angelo Stiller will be nominated and Sport Bild reported that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha will be part of the squad as well.
Youngsters Lennart Karl from Bayern Munich and Said El Mala from Cologne are reportedly other squad members and Dortmund's Waldemar Anton the fourth centre back alongside Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck and Antonio Rüdiger.
Nagelsmann has said he would talk to all players from a provisional squad of 55 before making the squad public.
These talks have reportedly also included Nagelsmann informing Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann that he will only be a back-up and Munich's Manuel Neuer first choice in a comeback from international retirement.
Bild and Sky said that Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel would be the third goalkeeper and that Urbig would also travel to the World Cup as a "training goalkeeper."
It was however unclear whether Urbig would be a member of the World Cup squad or whether he would just be part of the delegation.
Urbig, who has been at Bayern since January 2025 and deputised well for Neuer on several occasions there, was called up for the first time in March but missed a possible maiden cap due to injury.
