The Frenchman had a spectacular 2021/22 season with Leipzig, scoring 35 goals and assisting 25 times in 52 games. He’s had a similar season, with 17 goals and 4 assists in 23 games. Many high-profile teams have taken notice of his form, but Chelsea are the frontrunners to recruit him.
Romano stated in his Caught Offside column that he has no clue when an official announcement would be made, but that Chelsea have a contract in place. Because the teams are still debating the date of the move, the agreement documents have yet to be signed. The relocation was originally scheduled 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.
