Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea in 2023: The details
FT Desk
- Updated: 27 Sept 2022 09:05 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are in the race to sign Christopher Nkunku and are planning a bid for the Leipzig star next summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Nkunku was one of the breakout stars of European football last season, with the second striker scoring 35 goals in 52 games.
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He was one of the most wanted men in the past summer market, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, AC Milan and PSG all following the French attacker.
The 24-year-old ended up signing a new contract with Leipzig that will tie him to the club until 2026.
However, it is widely believed that Nkunku will move on next summer to a big club, and Romano confirms that Chelsea are in the running for him.
What did Romano say about Nkunku?
“There will be many clubs in the race for Nkunku next summer, including Chelsea as they’ve always been interested and attentive to his growth,” Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column.
“Nothing has been decided yet on the next step, it will be in 2023 – Nkunku will be one of the big names next summer.”
Nkunku has a release clause in his contract of just €60 million, which will be valid starting from the summer of 2023.
This is almost certain to spark a bidding war for the Frenchman next year.
It was a similar situation for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, who was wanted by virtually every big European team in the summer of 2021.
A €60m release fee in his contract came into effect in the summer of 2022, which was met by Manchester City.
Nkunku joined Leipizg from PSG in 2019 and has since developed into one of the most exciting players in his position in Europe.
He has recently broken into the France national team setup and he is expected to travel to the World Cup in November in Qatar.
