Chelsea have confirmed the signing of France international Christopher Nkunku from German side RB Leipzig for a fee of around £52 million.
The 25-year-old, who will become new manager Mauricio Pochettino’s first signing, joins the Blues on a six-year contract valid from July 1st.
Nkunku has been on the radar of the Premier League giants for a while, subsequently establishing a pre-agreement with the London outfit in the summer of the 2022 season.
“I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea,” Nkunku said.
“A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and team-mates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch.
“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,” the Frenchman added.
Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, praised the attacker’s performances over the last few seasons and highlighted what he would bring to Stamford Bridge.
“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,” they said.
“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.”
Nkunku joined Paris Saint-Germain’s youth team in 2010 as a 13-year-old before progressing to the senior team, where he went on to make over 70 appearances before joining RB Leipzig in 2019.
In Germany, he scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 172 matches, including 23 goals and 9 assists in 36 games for Leipzig during the 2022–23 season.
The French star will join up with his Chelsea teammates for pre-season in July as the Blues look to put behind them a disappointing 2022–23 campaign.
