Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku has informed the club that he wants to leave, as per a report in GOAL. The main reason behind this decision is believed to be his playing time.
Nkunku joined Chelsea in 2023. But due to an initial knee injury and a hamstring injury later, he was able to feature in only 14 games across the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup.
The scenario has seen a minimal change in the 2024-25 season. Although he has appeared 27 times in the Premier League this term, he has received a playing time of only 910 minutes. Moreover, his most successful streak was in the UEFA Europa Conference League, when he scored five goals and provided three assists in nine games.
During his stay at Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig (2019-23), Nkunku showed immense prowess, registering 70 goals and 55 assists in 172 games. However, Cole Palmer’s presence in the Chelsea squad has been a major factor in the French forward not getting enough minutes.
The report from GOAL also claims that Bayern Munich had shown interest in the 27-year-old in January. The Bavarians need a backup for forward Harry Kane, and they are still considering Nkunku as an option.
However, if Bayern want to sign Nkunku, they would have to sell Mathys Tel to Tottenham Hotspur for around €50 million. Tel was signed by Spurs on loan in February. In case Tel returns to Bayern after the completion of the loan term, the chances of Nkunku joining the Bavarians will diminish.
Chelsea and their numbers in the Conference League
Chelsea are the only English team still in contention for the UEFA Europa Conference League title. They have their semifinals against Swedish club Djurgarden in May. If they qualify for the final, they will fight either Real Betis or Fiorentina.
The Blues have been sublime in the tournament so far. Across 10 matches, the side have netted 33 goals, which means an average of 3.3 goals per game. Out of these 33, 19 goals have been converted using the right foot, six using the left, and seven using the head.
Also, their defense has remained resolute, conceding only eight goals and maintaining four clean sheets. They have recovered 372 balls and registered 25 blocks. They have conceded just one penalty so far and have yet to give away an own goal.
The team has completed 6281 of the 6799 passes, maintaining an accuracy of 92.3%, a figure that speaks volumes about the team’s ball distribution. Furthermore, Enzo Maresca’s side have maintained a cross accuracy of 33.34% till now.
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Edited by Parag Jain
