Christopher Nkunku’s future has been up in the air throughout the January transfer window, with links to Manchester United, Bayern Munich and more clubs.
Nkunku is clearly unhappy with his playing time at Stamford Bridge, having failed to take Nicolas Jackson’s striker position or Cole Palmer’s ‘number’ 10 role.
The Frenchman’s concerns are certainly reasonable but what also makes sense is the Blues’ reluctance to let him go in case of injury to either player.
With hours remaining until the deadline slams shut, here is an important update on Nkunku’s situation.
Christopher Nkunku’s Chelsea future decided
David Ornstein has explained that Nkunku will not leave Chelsea today despite significant interest from other clubs.
Bayern Munich had pushed to sign the forward earlier in the window, with a swap deal for Mathys Tel originally touted, and he remains on their shortlist.
The reason the move will not happen is a difference between the two club’s valuations of the player. The Blues reportedly want £65m for Nkunku and the Bavarian club are not prepared to pay it.
As for Manchester United, they too were not willing to meet Chelsea’s asking price and instead made a loan enquiry on Sunday.
The West London club turned down the approach from their Premier League rivals, probably in part due to Joao Felix’s imminent exit.
Chelsea must keep Christopher Nkunku or Joao Felix
Both Nkunku and Felix are in the same position at Chelsea; neither can force their way into Enzo Maresca’s starting eleven.
The Blues can only afford to lose one, however, as squad depth is imperative if they are to compete for the top four in the Premier League, FA Cup and Conference League.
Nkunku is probably the more valuable of the two because he provides stiffer competition to Jackson up front than Felix does to Palmer as an attacking midfielder – and the Frenchman is better as a ‘number 10’ than the ex-Atletico Madrid man is as a ‘number nine’.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
