Chelsea are looking to rival Manchester United in the signing of RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku, reports Goal.
The 24-year-old has been on fire and was rightly named the Bundesliga player of the season and Manchester United have shown some serious interest in signing the forward with Erik ten Hag making him a priority target.
He has scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists in 52 games for Leipzig and with a transfer budget of £200 million, Chelsea also have decided to make a move for the Bundesliga star.
▪️ 55 goal involvements
▪️ 35 goals, 20 assists
▪️ Bundesliga POTS
▪️ Bundesliga POTM (x4)Christopher Nkunku caps off his incredible season by winning the DFB-Pokal 🏆 pic.twitter.com/6O6s2ybPaD
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 21, 2022
Are RB Leipzig interested in selling Nkunku?
RB Leipzig know how valuable Christopher Nkunku is to their plans which is why they are not interested in selling him this summer.
In fact, the Germans are currently in contract negotiations with the player and this time, they want to add a release clause in his deal.
His current deal with Leipzig expires in 2024 so the club do not need to hit the panic button just yet and can afford to keep the forward on their books for one more year.
Which team will be more beneficial by signing Christopher Nkunku?
Manchester United seem to be the logical choice right now because Greenwood is not available, Cavani will be leaving the club and Ten Hag will probably sell Anthony Martial as well.
In such a scenario, Christopher Nkunku can very easily become the main centre-forward at the club, playing in tandem or alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Since Nkunku can also play as a No 10, Ronaldo’s position won’t be threatened as well.
However, if Chelsea can get rid of players like Ziyech and Timo Werner, there will be a lot of space to accommodate the 24-year-old. Lukaku has also been a massive disappointment but we don’t think Tuchel will risk selling him this time around. Also, because the manager plays with a 3-4-2-1 formation, Christopher Nkunku can very easily break into the first XI.
Manchester United are the team who desperately need a player like him but Chelsea have the lure of Champions League football and in the end, Christopher Nkunku might find that hard to resist. Also, with such a massive transfer budget, the Blues can very easily outbid their domestic rivals.
