How Chelsea beat ‘many clubs’ to sign Nkunku

FT Desk

• 29 Nov 2022 13:10 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea beat a host of big clubs to the signing of Christopher Nkunku, Fabrizio Romani has revealed.

The Blues have agreed a deal for the Leipzig star, who will officially become a Chelsea player at the end of the current campaign.

Romano has confirmed that a deal for the attacker is all in place and just needs to be made official.

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The transfer journalist adds that Nkunku was wanted by “many clubs”, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle, AC Milan and PSG all having been reported to have followed the Frenchman.

What did Romano say about Nkunku to Chelsea?

“The deal is agreed between all parties: Chelsea, Leipzig and player with his agent Pini Zahavi. The agreement is there, it’s finally guaranteed now,” Romano wrote in his CaughtOffside column.

“I think it’s good business, Nkunku is an excellent player and many clubs wanted him; Graham Potter approved this signing too but the position he plays will depend on future signings, it’s too early to say right now.”

The 24-year-old signed a new contract with Leipzig this year that tied him to the club until 2026.

However, that new contract only delayed the inevitable of Nkunku joining a big club.

Nkunku will officially join Chelsea from July 1, 2023.

How much is Nkunku’s release clause?

Nkunku has a release clause in his contract of just €60 million, which will be valid starting from the summer of 2023.

But Romano has previously suggested that he may go for slightly less than that.

Chelsea have been keen to wrap up this transfer as soon as possible given their struggles in attack this season.

The Blues have found it difficult to score goals despite the summer signings of Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Nkunku was one of the breakout stars of European football last season, with the second striker scoring 35 goals in 52 games.

He has maintained his fantastic form this season, also, scoring 17 goals in 23 games in all competitions.

He was also named in France’s World Cup squad for Qatar but had to pull out before the finals began due to injury.

Nkunku joined Leipzig from PSG in 2019 and has since developed into one of the most exciting players in his position in Europe.