Chelsea have confirmed the signing of RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku for £53 million.
The Frenchman’s potential move to Stamford Bridge was the worst-kept secret in sport over the last year, with reports claiming he passed a medical and agreed to join the Blues in December.
Chelsea had to wait until the end of the 2022-23 season to activate his £53 million release clause, but the trade is now complete. Nkunku has signed a contract extension with the Blues until 2029, after his four-year stint at RB Leipzig.
The 25-year-old expressed his delight over the move in a statement on Chelsea’s official website, which reads: “I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea.
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.”
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Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: “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. He has demonstrated his ability at the highest level with RB Leipzig and France and we look forward to him joining up with his new teammates ahead of the new season.”
Nkunku began his career at Paris Saint-Germain in 2015, but departed four years later to join RB Leipzig after struggling for regular minutes at Parc des Princes. The France international went on to score 70 goals and assist 56 times in 172 appearances for the Bundesliga club, winning two DFB-Pokal titles along the way. Nkunku has also earned 10 caps for France, most recently coming off the bench in a 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Greece.
