Chelsea get transfer boost as Christopher Nkunku opens door to RB Leipzig exit
Chelsea have received a boost in their pursuit of Christopher Nkunku as he has hinted at an exit from RB Leipzig this summer. He is on the back of a terrific season, which has also helped him earn a spot under Didier Deschamps’ France national team recently.
Nkunku has a contract with Leipzig, which will only expire at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, according to L’Equipe (h/t The Sun). However, they have no plans to part ways with their talisman at this moment, which would be concerning for the Blues, who are eager to sign him just like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
Speaking in an interview with the French television channel Telefoot as quoted by Get French Football News (h/t The Sun), the French attacker has admitted that he is flattered by the interest from clubs like Thomas Tuchel’s side. Nkunku revealed he would decide on his future after assessing his options ahead of the next term.
“It’s no secret. There are clubs interested in me. Yes, it’s flattering, but it’s also flattering to have a club like Leipzig do everything to keep me as well. I’ll have to reflect and make a decision. The World Cup is on the way and that’s another factor to take into account.”
Nkunku to Stamford Bridge?
Signing an attacker should be the last thing on our mind right now when the focus should be given to the defence to improve it ahead of the upcoming season. That is unless we free up some spots in the frontline by getting rid of underperforming stars like Timo Werner or Romelu Lukaku, for example.
The likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic are also on the same boat, and their exits could pave the way for Nkunku to reunite with Tuchel. After all, the boss had managed the Bundesliga ace previously during their time together at PSG, which may potentially give us an edge over our rivals.
However, the French giants would probably enjoy the same advantage, which means that we have to find other means to make the best case for ourselves in Nkunku’s mind. That could be possible if we can guarantee him more regular game time, which is a possibility if we can get rid of the fringe players in the attack.
After all, the 24-year-old has his eyes set on the 2022 Qatar World Cup and offering him consistent minutes could be the key to influencing him to move to Stamford Bridge. Furthermore, his profile could suit Tuchel’s flexible style of play in the frontline as Nkunku is quite similar to Kai Havertz, for example.
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However, if the West London club decide to pursue Nkunku, they must do their best to reduce the whopping asking price of £80million to something more reasonable. We have already experienced first-hand how it is not wise to lavishly spend money looking at the business we did with some of the attacking options.
It is stated that the Blues could be the first to make a bid for Nkunku this summer transfer window. That could be interesting indeed, although the fans would hope to see a change in their policy by being more reasonable with their approaches.