RB Leipzig and France international Christopher Nkunku signs a new deal and snubs a potential Chelsea transfer this season in favour of signing a new bumper deal in Germany, which has, in turn, ruled out a potential Timo Werner return to the Bundesliga.
With Romelu Lukaku's return to Inter Milan on loan clsoe to being completed, new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is in the process of trying to identify which No. 9 will be targeted to replace him. The likes of Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele are both targets in the attacking areas as Thomas Tuchel looks to complete his complete revamp upfront for 2022/23.
Despite initial feelings that Man City's No. 7 would be a direct replacement for the club-record signing, this isn't thought to be the case as football.london understands that multiple attackers will be brought in as part of key changes to the Blues' attack. This will include the signing of a new out-and-out striker. A sentiment that was echoed by The Athletic's Chelsea correspondent Simon Johnson in a recent podcast recording: "No it's not a direct replacement and obviously, Lukaku was signed to be the target man and to be the goalscorer to lead that attack.
READ MORE: Chelsea may have secret weapon to complete £86m Christopher Nkunku transfer deal
"So, one would assume and rightfully think that they would go for someone else to replace him, they've got to. If you were to look at one of the key areas that Chelsea are lacking in regarding competition with City and Liverpool, it's in attack and noticeably once their defence started to leak goals, it became more of a noticeable issue. This is because in the first three-four months of the season, they were able to win games by keeping clean sheet after clean sheet but suddenly the pressure was put on them to score two-three goals to win the game and they didn't have the tools to do this."
Could Nkunku take up the mantle? Well, despite clear and apparent interest on the Blues' behalf in the Bundesliga player of 2021/22 in the form of Nkunku himself as per Bild, the Frenchmen has now snubbed a move to the Premier League in order to stay put as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.
However, there is a £52m release clause that can potentially be exploited in the future if Chelsea were to make a fresh move in future transfer windows. But as of now, RB Leipzig's number 18 will be part of Domenico Tedesco's squad for another two years minimum if the aforementioned release clause isn't to be activated next summer.
Not only Chelsea will be disappointed by this decision but also out of favour forward early Timo Werner, who has seen another avenue closed off after early Borussia Dortmund disappointment in the early parts of this transfer window, with his wages proving to be a major issue for many clubs across Europe.
Werner is a player who is reportedly not happy with his game time and role in West London and amid reports he could seek an exit this summer, it is believed that west Londoners would not stand in his way if a suitable offer was to come in. His preference is to return to the Bundesliga and a potential Nkunku swap deal could have been something further explored later in this transfer market.
Where Chelsea's No. 11 ends up now looks rather uncertain, with another season at Stamford Bridge a distinct possibility unless the 26-year-old is willing to take a huge pay cut in order to secure more regular first-team football. Remember, this is a World Cup year and Werner will be conscious of that.
Chelsea fans- Do you think the club will sign Christopher Nkunku next summer and who would you sign this summer to replace Romelu Lukakku? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments section below!
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