Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal for Christopher Nkunku of RB Leipzig, with a medical having already taken place
(Image credit: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal for Christopher Nkunku of RB Leipzig.
That's according to reports stating that the French attacking is set to link up with the Blues next summer. Nkunku would become the first signing of the Graham Potter era.
Nkunku only signed a new contract with the controversial east German outfit in the summer, following interest from Manchester United.
Christopher Nkunku could become Graham Potter's first Chelsea buy (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to German outlet BILD, the Blues are closing in on a deal thought to be worth around £53 million. The two clubs have already worked with one another this summer, with Stamford Bridge flop Timo Werner returning to the club that the west Londoners bought him from on a cut-price deal.
Renowned transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Frenchman's release clause is set at €60m. Nkunku is thought to have already had a medical in Frankfurt ahead of the move.
Nkunku will likely join the club in 2023, despite the opportunity for him to move in January.
This would not be the first time that a Premier League club has signed a Leipzig player for the following season – in 2017, Liverpool signed Naby Keita, with the Guinean remaining in the Bundesliga for another season.
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Naby Keita joined the Premier League a year after originally signing – similarly to the Nkunku deal. (Image credit: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
With Chelsea having let Werner leave and coming close to selling Hakim Ziyech, it seems like there could be more outgoings under Potter in the coming transfer windows. Christian Pulisic has been linked with a move away from the club, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, though there was strong interest in him from the likes of Newcastle United and Arsenal.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
