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Chelsea are reportedly looking to secure the €60m (£51.9m) signing of RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku before the World Cup begins in November.
The France international’s future was the subject of much speculation over the summer, with Manchester United and Arsenal both said to be keen on his services.
Nkunku ultimately signed a new deal with his German club towards the end of June, but it was always thought that he would be on the move at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Chelsea are believed to have moved quickly in the early stages of this season, though, with reports claiming that the attacker has already undergone a medical with the Premier League giants.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Nkunku has already signed a pre-contract agreement with Graham Potter’s side, who have seemingly beaten a host of clubs to his signature.
When asked about the reports earlier this month, Leipzig boss Marco Rose said: “It’s speculation, we don’t comment on it. We don’t care, we don’t care.”
However, according to Bild, Chelsea are in the latter stages of the negotiation progress and are expecting to be able to complete his signature before the World Cup begins in November.
The report claims that the Frenchman is likely to pen a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge, with the transfer potentially going through at the start of 2023.
Nkunku has again been in excellent form for Leipzig during the 2022-23 campaign, scoring 10 goals and registering one assist in 15 appearances in all competitions.
In the Bundesliga, the attacker has seven goals in nine outings, while he has struck once on four occasions in the Champions League, with Leipzig winning their last two in the section against Celtic.
Nkunku joined the Bundesliga side from Paris Saint-Germain in July 2019, and he has represented them on 151 occasions in all competitions, contributing 57 goals and 48 assists in the process.
There had been suggestions that PSG were also interested in bringing him back to the club, but Chelsea now appear to be on the verge of securing his signature.
Potter’s side are also said to keen on Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, as the club turn to the Bundesliga for new signings.
However, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid are all believed to be ahead of Chelsea in the race to acquire Bellingham during next summer’s transfer window.