February 3rd 2025.
On Sunday, Manchester United reached out to Chelsea with a proposal for a loan move for Christopher Nkunku. However, the 27-year-old attacker rejected the offer in the final hours of the January transfer window. Nkunku, who joined Chelsea back in 2023 for a whopping £52 million, has been struggling to live up to his price tag, especially due to his injury problems in the past two seasons. Since Enzo Maresca took over as the head coach, Nkunku has only made three Premier League starts, making him surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
With his limited game time, it's no surprise that clubs like Bayern Munich and Manchester United have shown a strong interest in Nkunku this winter. Chelsea has made it clear that they are open to permanent offers for the former RB Leipzig star. However, both United and Bayern value Nkunku at around £40 million, a significant difference from the £25 million price tag that Chelsea has set for him. In an attempt to secure Nkunku's services, United reached out to their Premier League rivals on Sunday, but both the player and Chelsea were not interested in a temporary deal, and Nkunku will be staying put at the club. His current contract with the Blues runs until the summer of 2029.
While Nkunku might not be going anywhere, Chelsea is prepared to loan out another player, Joao Felix, before the transfer deadline. AC Milan is pursuing a six-month agreement for the Portugal international, and super-agent Jorge Mendes was in London on Sunday night to try and secure the deal. Aston Villa had also been interested in Felix, but they have dropped their pursuit after signing loan agreements for Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Asensio. According to reports from Italy, the San Siro is the only possible destination for Felix, and the player himself is set on joining the Serie A giants.
In a recent media appearance, Maresca acknowledged that Nkunku and Felix are fantastic players, but they have been unfortunate to have to compete with one of the best attacking midfielders in the league, Cole Palmer. The Chelsea head coach explained that he prefers to play with one attacking midfielder in most games for balance, and that is the reason why Nkunku and Felix have struggled to get minutes. When asked if this meant they would be allowed to leave, Maresca said that he likes both players but did not confirm or deny any potential departures.
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