RB Leipzig sporting director Max Eberl has publicly confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will join Chelsea in the summer.
At the end of September, it emerged that the France international had already undergone a medical and signed pre-contract terms with the Blues ahead of a move in 2023.
Nkunku, who only extended his contract with Leipzig until 2026 in the summer, was due to travel to Qatar with the France squad for the 2022 World Cup, but he was forced to withdraw from the tournament after suffering a serious knee injury in training.
Nkunku's issue cast doubt over whether his move to Stamford Bridge would go through, but Chelsea are believed to have accelerated their pursuit in December, and they now have a £52m deal in place.
The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker has supposedly given the green light to a contract until 2028, and Eberl has now revealed that he will be heading to the English capital later this year.
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"The signs are very, very clear that he's moving to Chelsea," Eberl told Bild, as Nkunku prepares to depart the Red Bull Arena after establishing a reputation as one of the most prolific attackers in Europe.
The 25-year-old spent nine years on the books at PSG before leaving for Leipzig in 2019, and he has since amassed 64 goals and 51 assists in 159 appearances for the club in all competitions.
A phenomenal 2021-22 season saw Nkunku directly contribute to 55 goals in 52 games - scoring 35 and setting up 20 more - and his efforts helped Die Roten Bullen clinch the DFB-Pokal title.
Prior to suffering his knee injury, the Frenchman began the 2022-23 season in fine form with 17 goals and four assists from 23 outings, and he is not expected to return from injury until the end of February.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has overseen a significant period of spending in the winter transfer window, including the marquee attacking additions of Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk.
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Mudryk, who was widely expected to join Arsenal, could cost the Blues up to £88.5m in total, and Shakhtar Donetsk have announced that more than £20m of that fee will go towards the Ukrainian war relief.
Meanwhile, Felix joined on a straight loan from Atletico Madrid last week, but he was sent off less than an hour into his debut during Thursday's 2-1 loss to West London rivals Fulham.
David Datro Fofana has also arrived in January to bolster Graham Potter's ranks in the final third, alongside centre-back Benoit Badiashile and midfielder Andrey Santos.
However, the futures of Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all being called into question, and the latter is being linked with a return to Barcelona less than a year after leaving to return to the Premier League.
The Blues are also said to be open to offers for Raheem Sterling, who has only scored four Premier League goals for the club since arriving from Manchester City last summer.
Ben Knapton
