Chelsea have suffered a massive injury setback because Christopher Nkunku has undergone surgery and he will now be out for a couple of months.
The Blues had paid £63 million for the forward signing him on a six-year deal from RB Leipzig but he picked up a knee injury during Chelsea’s pre-season tour in the US.
Nkunku sustained meniscus damage on his left knee, as per The Guardian and due to this surgery, the 25-year-old will likely be on the sidelines for around 16 weeks.
The official statement from Chelsea read: “Nkunku has sustained a knee injury which will rule the forward out for an extended period.
“The 25-year-old has undergone an operation and will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club’s medical department.”
Christopher Nkunku injury: What are Chelsea going to do now?
The centre-forward scored 16 goals along with four assists in 25 league matches for Leipzig last season and he was supposed to be Chelsea’s primary centre-forward under Mauricio Pochettino.
However, this unexpected injury has surely derailed Pochettino’s primary plans, more so because the club have also sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal. If the timeline of the injury is correct then Christopher Nkunku will be out of action until December so Pochettino cannot afford to rely on his backup players for such a long time.
Romelu Lukaku is the only other recognised centre-forward in the squad right now but the Belgium international has no future at the club and wants to head back to Italy.
Chelsea have previously been linked with Dusan Vlahovic and according to ESPN, this injury to Christopher Nkunku could force the London side to go after Vlahovic seriously.
Juventus are interested in signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea and as per some rumours, Pochettino has told his board that he wants them to go after Dusan Vlahovic.
The Serbian international is refusing to sign a new contract with Juventus but the club need to make a sale in order to balance their books so if Chelsea make the correct offer they can very easily bring in the 23-year-old. Vlahovic is valued at around €75 million by Juve and this fee should not be an issue for the Blues because they have brought in more than €200 million from player sales this summer.
