Christopher Nkunku with Kylian Mbappe of France during their Nations League clash against Austria. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
According to Fabrizio Romano’s column at CaughtOffside (h/t Express), Chelsea are one of the few clubs in contention to sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku next summer. He wrote:
“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. Nothing has been decided yet on the next step, it will be in 2023 – Nkunku will be one of the big names next summer.”
The French international, who is almost certain to represent his nation in the upcoming World Cup, has been one of the best forwards in the Bundesliga for the last year or so.
He scored 35 goals and assisted 20 in 52 appearances in all competitions for the German side. As a result of those astonishing numbers, the 24-year-old was awarded the Bundesliga Player of the Year award.
Back in June, Nkunku signed a new deal with Leipzig that is going to keep him at the Red Bull Arena until the summer of 2026. However, Romano expects an auction next summer to sign him, with Chelsea being one of them in the hat.
After stuttering to rise to prominence at Paris Saint-Germain, the forward has taken giant strides towards that at Leipzig after arriving there in 2019.
He is positionally versatile too, having played in every position across the forward line and done well. Apart from the tricks and dribbles, the 24-year-old has added the final product to his game in the last two to three years. It has made him a complete player with different threats up his sleeve.
For Chelsea, even after a heavy spending summer, they cannot stop doing that next year as well. The forward line lacks players who can add that X-factor to the team with final products. The future of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech isn’t very promising at Stamford Bridge, barring a dramatic turnaround under new manager Graham Potter.
So the onus should be on the Blues to make Nkunku one of their leading targets going into next summer. The Frenchman has everything about him that can enhance the level of any forward line across Europe.
However, the World Cup can complicate things – as is the case with any player who travels to the showpiece event. A good showing with Les Bleus may not just raise his stocks but potentially bring other parties to the table.
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