Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku has reportedly “ruled out” the possibility of leaving the club on loan for the duration of the 2025-26 season.
The France international was excluded from Chelsea’s matchday squad for their 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon and he is expected to depart Stamford Bridge before the summer transfer window slams shut on 1 September.
Vincent Kompany’s side have missed out on both Florian Wirtz and Nico Williams so far this summer, while their interest in Xavi Simons is also unlikely to yield any fruit as he has set his sights on completing a move to Chelsea.
As a result, they have identified Nkunku as a top target and they are now in talks with Chelsea over a permanent deal.
Christopher Nkunku loan deal off
Chelsea are determined to sell Nkunku in order to raise funds for the aforementioned Simons, and the Frenchman also has no intention of leaving Stamford Bridge on loan.
That is according to transfer journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who posted on X: “Chelsea FC demanding ~€40M from Bayern Munich. Christopher Nkunku [is] pushing for a permanent transfer and has ruled out the option of a loan move.
“At this stage, it’s true that negotiations between the parties are very difficult, but talks have not broken down entirely.”
Nkunku scored 15 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions last season, however he only started nine Premier League matches throughout the campaign and he has fallen further down the pecking order following the arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
The Frenchman has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in recent months, but Bayern are the firm frontrunners for his signature and a deal still remains on the cards.
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