Wolfsburg have announced the signing of Max Kruse from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchengladbach with the Germany international joining in the summer on a four-year contract.
The Wolves have met the terms of a release clause in the 27-year-old's contract, although no details of the transfer fee have been revealed.
"We're really delighted that Max Kruse has decided to join Wolfsburg,'' said Wolfsburg's director of sport Klaus Allofs after his side climbed above Gladbach into second place in the Bundesliga with a 3-1 win at Paderborn. "He is the kind of forward we've been missing in our side and he will increase the quality and variety of our attack even further.''
Kruse has scored 11 goals for Gladbach this season, including three in his last three games.
"Max is a technically gifted, quick and potent forward,'' said Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking. "He's improved year on year and is always one of the key members of his team.
"With him on board, we now have a top-drawer attack, which is going to be very important in view of our challenges in the league and in Europe next season.''
Kruse has made a total of 131 Bundesliga appearances for Werder Bremen, Freiburg and Gladbach and has been capped 11 times by Germany, even if he has been something of a late starter.
His career did not appear to be going far when he dropped down the ranks to join St Pauli at the age of 21, but he got it back on track in northern Germany, earning a move back to the Bundesliga with Freiburg in 2012. He spent only one season in the Black Forest before moving to Gladbach in 2013, and now he is ready to move on again.
"I'm really looking forward to being able to take the next step in my career with Wolfsburg,'' Kruse said. "I had some good talks with Klaus Allofs and Dieter Hecking and I knew that I wanted to join Wolfsburg since their style of play suits me and they have a lot of quality in their squad.
"But now I'm fully focused on my final two games for Gladbach before doing my bit for Wolfsburg's continued success after the summer break.''