Chelsea have announced their first signing of the summer as they confirmed that Christopher Nkunku has joined the club from RB Leipzig on a long term deal.
The west London club reached an agreement with RB Leipzig to bring Nkunku to Stamford Bridge earlier in the season, in a move that is thought to be worth in excess of £65m. The Frenchman even underwent a medical with The Blues last September, and his proposed transfer is one of the worst kept secrets in the transfer world.
Now, they have confirmed the deal, with a move having been begun under Thomas Tuchel, and Nkunku now set to join Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
‘I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea,’ said Nkunku. ‘A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and teammates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch.
‘Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world. I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt.’
Nkunku is a Blue! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/NASfDOG0Xg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 20, 2023
Meanwhile, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said: ‘Christopher has proved himself one of the standout attacking players in European football over the past two seasons and will add quality, creativity and versatility to our squad.
Despite injury ruling him out of part of the season including the Qatar World Cup, Nkunku has still enjoyed another excellent season in the Bundesliga, grabbing 16 goals and 6 assists in just 25 outings, while he is also a regular in the France squad.
His arrival is thought to be a major factor in why the Blues opted not to pursue a permanent deal for Joao Felix, with both players tending to occupy the same spaces on the pitch.
