Chelsea set to seal Nkunku transfer before World Cup

James Shearman

Updated: 13 Oct 2022 21:30 BST
3 min read

Christopher Nkunku, RB Leipzig, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Christopher Nkunku will become Chelsea's latest signing ahead of the World Cup, according to reports.

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The Frenchman was considered one of the brightest talents on the market and won the Bundesliga Player of the Season after scoring 20 goals last year.

Nkunku rejected interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United to sign a new deal at Leipzig until 2026 which is rumoured to contain a release clause of €60 million.

However, despite Nkunku appearing to commit his future to Leipzig, the Daily Mail claims Chelsea are going to complete the signing before the World Cup in mid-November.

Should the Blues end up beating their rivals to Nkunku’s signature, FootballTransfers takes a look at how the French international could slot into Graham Potter’s side.

How Chelsea could line up with Nkunku

Potter may choose to use a variant of the 3-4-2-1 he often lined up with during his time at Brighton given Chelsea’s recruitment of defenders Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and former Seagull Marc Cucurella during the summer.

Part of the reason players such as Cucurella were signed was due to their fluidity to adapt to a multitude of systems and, with Chelsea lacking a natural left-footed centre-back, the Spaniard could feature in that role with Ben Chilwell now returning from a long-term injury.

Ultimately the personnel used in defence will likely be rotated between the new arrivals and veterans Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta, with Reece James the only real ‘lock’ at right wing-back.

Potter has preferred a central midfield pairing of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic in his time in charge, with N'Golo Kante continuing to struggle with injury issues.

Adding Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea’s attack… 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BsZNE9fyO2
— LDN (@LDNFootbalI) October 13, 2022

Raheem Sterling will undoubtedly retain a first team spot on the wing after netting four goals in his first eight games for Chelsea and Mason Mount will likely be preferred to Kai Havertz on the opposite flank due to the German’s unconvincing performances.

Chelsea’s achilles heel in the past year has been their lack of firepower up front, hence the desperation to sign Nkunku after his 35 goals in all competitions last season.

Despite the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer, the 34-year-old was always seen as a stop-gap and Nkunku’s arrival will likely see the Gabonese forward ousted from the starting line-up.