Christopher Nkunku is only willing to leave Chelsea on a “permanent transfer”, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
There have been reports that Manchester United have lined up a loan offer for the 27-year-old but, speaking on his YouTube channel on Sunday night, Romano said that the player is not keen on such a move:
“I’m still receiving many questions on the future of Chelsea player Christopher Nkunku, linked with Manchester United. My information is that at the moment, there are no concrete movements for Nkunku. And my information as of today is that Nkunku doesn’t want to leave on loan.”
The only way it seems Nkunku will depart is if a club are willing to meet Chelsea’s asking price, which Romano says is pretty steep:
“So if some club arrives [on] deadline day, they pay big money, I don’t know, 60, 65, 70 million pounds, and sign the player on a permanent transfer. Never say never.”
Chelsea would not have found a replacement in time
Another important factor to consider is that the Blues would have needed to replace Nkunku if he had left either on loan or on a permanent deal.
Mathys Tel would have a good solution, considering that his club Bayern Munich were keen on landing Nkunku themselves. However, the 19-year-old was not interested in moving to Stamford Bridge unless he was given guarantees over game time.
With that being the case, Chelsea would have needed to consider alternative targets; many of whom are not available this month.
Another forward could still leave on loan
While Nkunku seems to be staying put, barring any last-ditch bids, one player who may still be on the move before Monday night’s deadline is Joao Felix.
AC Milan are pushing to secure the Portuguese international’s signature, but Chelsea have limited loan slots. If they approve Felix’s departure, Aaron Anselmino’s switch to Marseille would fall through. It is expected to be a very busy last few hours in the transfer market for the Blues.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for 2024/2025 season here