Respected journalist Fabrizio Romano has said that Chelsea have a deal in place with RB Leipzig for Christopher Nkunku but a formal agreement is left to be signed.
The Frenchman had an outstanding 2021/22 campaign for Leipzig with 35 goals and 25 assists from 52 matches. He has been in similar touch this season with 17 goals and 4 assists from 23 games. His form has grabbed attention of many high-profile clubs but Chelsea are in pole position to sign him.
Writing in his Caught Offside column, Romano has said that he has no idea when an official announcement will be made but Chelsea have a deal in place. The agreement papers have yet to be signed as the clubs are still discussing the timing of the transfer. The move was initially planned for next summer.
He wrote: “Honestly, it’s not yet clear when we could get an official announcement on the Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea deal. It’s up to the clubs and at the moment it’s not signed yet so we will see; the deal is ready but not signed yet and this is an important stage. Chelsea and RB Leipzig will discuss about timing of the transfer too, but initially it has always been planned for next summer.”
Urgent need
Chelsea were the biggest spenders of the summer transfer window at £250 million. Despite the huge expenditure, the London giants are lying eighth in the league table at the moment. Graham Potter’s side are already eight points behind Tottenham for the last Champions League spot.
There is lot of work to be done following the World Cup hiatus. Potter has more time on the training field with the non-World Cup stars over the coming weeks, but the 47-year-old also needs to be backed with January signings. The attack needs to be reinforced after just 17 goals scored from 14 league games.
Nkunku is one of the best candidates to resolve their scoring woes but Chelsea must convince Leipzig. The Frenchman’s £52 million release clause only becomes active in June 2023. If Chelsea want to acquire his signature this winter, they may have to pay a substantial transfer amount on top of this.
