Chelsea has officially announced the acquisition of French international Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
The club confirmed the signing for a fee of £52 million through an official statement on their website on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023.
The 25-year-old midfielder, who has represented France on ten occasions, has agreed to a six-year contract set to commence on July 1st.
Nkunku, a product of the renowned French national football academy at Clairefontaine, began his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain. During his time there, he made 78 appearances for the first team, contributing to three Ligue 1 title victories and two Coupe de France triumphs. In the summer of 2019, he made a move to RB Leipzig.
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It was in Germany that Nkunku established himself as one of the most exceptional forwards in European football. In the 2021/22 season, he impressively scored 35 goals across all competitions and was awarded the Bundesliga Player of the Season and German PFA Player of the Season accolades. Furthermore, he helped RB Leipzig secure the DFB-Pokal title.
In the current season, the versatile attacker has netted an additional 23 goals, contributing significantly to Leipzig’s third-place finish in the Bundesliga and successful defense of the DFB-Pokal.
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Christopher Nkunku Joins Chelsea
‘I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea,’ said Nkunku. ‘A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and teammates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch. Nkunku told the club.
He continued; ‘Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world. I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt.’
Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, said: ‘Christopher has proved himself one of the standout attacking players in European football over the past two seasons and will add quality, creativity and versatility to our squad.
‘He has demonstrated his ability at the highest level with RB Leipzig and France and we look forward to him joining up with his new teammates ahead of the new season.’
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