Chelsea learn date of Christopher Nkunku transfer

Chelsea are putting the finishing touches on a deal to sign RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku, with the Frenchman set to move to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Having held a medical with Chelsea during the summer, Nkunku was quickly identified as a potential attacking signing for 2023 and Blues co-owner Todd Boehly made it clear he would be prepared to pay slightly above the £56m release clause which will become active in Nkunku's contract next summer to finalise a deal immediately.

90min understands that there has long been confidence among the Blues that a deal for Nkunku is all but finalised, with the main issue left to address being whether the 25-year-old moved to Chelsea in January or in the summer.

Now, sources have confirmed that the two sides have agreed to keep this a summer transfer as initially planned, not least because of Nkunku's recent injury which ruled him out of the World Cup.

While further checks need to be done on Nkunku's knee injury, there are concerns that he could be out for around three months, so a summer transfer is the only real option for both clubs.

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Leipzig had been tentatively hopeful that Nkunku would shine at the World Cup and increase his value as a result, but with the forward now unavailable for the foreseeable future, Leipzig are ready to push ahead with a sale.

Sources have told 90min that there are simply the finer details of the agreement left to address, with everyone involved now confident that Nkunku will be a Chelsea player once the summer transfer window opens in 2023.

Nkunku could be one of a handful of new attacking faces at Stamford Bridge next summer, with Boehly also pursuing AC Milan's Rafael Leao after the Portugal international failed to renew his contract, which expires in 2024, before leaving for the World Cup.