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Chelsea will reportedly sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku on a five-year contract, with the deal set to be wrapped up before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
According to Bild (as per Absolute Chelsea), the Frenchman is set to finalize his transfer before the tournament begins in November. Nkunku is one of the most highly-rated forwards in European football and is enjoying an excellent season.
The French international has scored 10 goals in 15 appearances for Leipzig so far this term. The pacy, imposing forward has impressed with his performances in recent seasons. He is used predominately as a second striker but can also play as a centre-forward.
Nkunku only signed a new four-year contract extension in June, which ended speculation over a summer move. However, new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is clearly ambitious and ready to splash the cash to provide Graham Potter with the players he needs.
The Blues appear short in terms of players who can play as centre-forwards, with Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku both allowed to leave the club over the summer. Nkunku left PSG in 2019 for Leipzig and has since scored 57 times in 151 appearances for the Bundesliga side.
Thierry Henry explains why Timo Werner's time at Chelsea was a failure
After two unsuccessful seasons with the Blues, where he scored just 23 times in 89 appearances, Werner left Stamford Bridge to rejoin RB Leipzig in the summer. The German international has formed a successful partnership with Nkunku and Henry has explained why the German's spell in west London did not work out.
The France and Arsenal icon told CBS Sports (as quoted by The Evening Standard):
"I will call it confidence. You have players who don’t care if you put your arm around them. They will come, execute and leave. Then you have some players that need to feel the love. They need to feel maybe that they are going to play for 90 minutes."
"He rushed it trying to do something, overthinking it and overdoing it. I saw it before, he was calm before and he is calm again. Maybe he would have shot because people said he can’t score at Chelsea – it gives you confidence when you score again."
Henry added:
"Sometimes you go to some places, they don’t show you that love, I’m not saying he didn’t have it, but if he didn’t feel it like he felt it at Leipzig, then you aren’t going to be at your best and you won’t take the right decision."
