RB Leipzig have stepped up their talks with Chelsea over Christopher Nkunku, according to David Ornstein.
The Blues forward is looking to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after two disappointing seasons in which he failed to establish himself as a regular starter.
Talks have been taking place with Bayern Munich in recent days, with the Bundesliga champions pivoting to Nkunku after unsuccessfully pursuing Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade.
However, discussions between Bayern and Chelsea have moved slowly as the German side want to sign Nkunku on an initial loan. The Blues and Nkunku are in agreement that he needs to leave permanently this summer.
Nkunku has not had any issues with Bayern on personal terms as the two parties had already agreed a deal in January before the Munich outfit ultimately baulked at Chelsea’s asking price.
RB Leipzig step up Nkunku talks
Despite the agreement between Nkunku and Bayern, a deal has not been finalised due to the lack of progress in talks with Chelsea. This has allowed other suitors to move for the France international.
According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, RB Leipzig have stepped up their talks to bring Nkunku back to the club. The 27-year-old’s name was initially broached during talks over Xavi Simons, and the Red Bulls are now actively looking to re-sign him.
Chelsea need to offload Nkunku to be able to sign Simons, so this could prove to be a mutually beneficial deal if it were to come off. However, Ornstein emphasises that there is no agreement for Nkunku yet.
The versatile forward is said to be open to returning to his former stomping ground despite Leipzig’s lack of European football this season. It remains to be seen if this deal will go through or if Bayern can manage to strike an accord with Chelsea.
Football transfer news headlines today
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
