RB Leipzig star Andre Silva has revealed how teammate Christopher Nkunku has reacted to interest from Chelsea. The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but a move failed to materialise.
football.london understand that the Blues, who hold a long-term interest in Nkunku, were considering making a move for the France international in the summer but they were put off by the German giants' €100million (£87.6m) asking price. Late into the window, the Frenchman penned a new deal at the Red Bull Arena, which cast doubt as to whether a switch would be on the cards.
However, it's understood that a €60million (£52.6m) release clause was inserted into his contract which only becomes active in the summer, meaning Nkunku could leave for considerably less and save Chelsea in the region of £35million. And, according to The Athletic, the west Londoners have 'committed to pay' the aforementioned release clause to sign him in advance to avoid an inevitable transfer war.
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The report states that the forward has signed a pre-contract agreement to arrive at Stamford Bridge in the summer after having already completed a medical. This week, speaking to the press ahead of the German side's Champions League clash with Celtic, Nkunku's teammate, Silva, was asked how the Frenchman has handled speculation regarding his future. He replied: "Chris is not a team-mate who talks so much.
"I think he puts all the work on the pitch during games or in training and he is able to do things that come naturally and make it look easy. Chris is doing good and we hope he continues doing that."
However, the week prior, both Leipzig boss Marco Rose and teammate Dominik Szoboszlai dismissed reports which claim that Nkunku is leaving. He said: "We don’t comment on speculation, we don’t care about it."
Szoboszlai doubled down. He said: "I have the same answer as the coach. We don’t talk much about speculation. He knows that he is one of our players and that he has to do the best for us. We know that he does everything for the team will continue to do so."
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