As reported by the Daily Mail, Thomas Tuchel wants Chelsea to compete with Manchester United for RB Leipzig star player Christopher Nkunku this summer. He is a player whom Ralf Rangnick has personally recommended to the Red Devils.
The freshly capped French player has had a productive season. He has scored 20 goals and assisted 13 times in the Bundesliga. He has also done well in Uefa competitions with 11 goals in 12 appearances.
Despite playing as an attacking midfielder, Christopher Nkunku is the Bundesliga’s fourth highest goal scorer this season. He is just one goal behind Erling Haaland.
The 24-year-old’s performances have attracted the interest of a number of elite clubs, including Bayern Munich and Arsenal, and he was the first player Ralf Rangnick suggested to Manchester United’s board when he first arrived at Old Trafford.
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In fact, the interim manager – who was a prominent figure throughout Red Bull’s football teams when Nkunku moved to Leipzig – was said to be surprised to find that United had not been watching the Frenchman, despite Rangnick thinking him to be one of Europe’s brightest prospects.
But, Chelsea has now entered the race to sign the versatile attacker, with Sky Sports Germany revealing that Tuchel is ‘very keen’ in adding him to his squad this summer.
The west Londoners are already eyeing Leipzig for a successor to Antonio Rudiger, with Josko Gvardiol at the top of their centre-back wishlist, but they might make it a double raid.
Thomas Tuchel wants to add a younger midfielder with goalscoring instincts to his side, as N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are both over 30, and Chelsea has been short in central midfield due to unfortunate injuries this season.
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However, the bad news for Thomas Tuchel is that RB Leipzig do not want to sell their most key player, especially because Konrad Laimer is expected to sign for Bayern Munich this summer.
Nkunku has been offered a new contract while there is no release clause in his current deal, which runs until 2024. Any potential suitors will likely having to stump up a fee of around £63million in order to sign him.
