Manchester United look to sign out-of-favour Chelsea striker

As the Frenchman mulls over his possible future at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United is preparing a surprise deal for Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku. In the summer of 2023, the Blues made a splash by paying £52 million ($67 million) to recruit Nkunku from RB Leipzig. But a number of injuries cut into his playing time last season, and new manager Enzo Maresca has made Nicolas Jackson Chelsea's first-choice striker for the 2024–25 season. 

The French attacker has played 154 minutes so far this season and only appeared in one Premier League match. With ten goals this season, he still leads the team in goals scored, but the majority of those goals came in the Carabao Cup and Europa Conference League.

Florian Plettenberg, a writer for Sky Sports, stated last week he believed the 26-year-old would think about leaving Stamford Bridge soon, albeit a January departure seems unlikely. As they try to strengthen their team in the freshly appointed Ruben Amorim era, Manchester United is reportedly planning an attempt to sign the player from France in the forthcoming window, according to L'Equipe.  

Will Christopher Nkunku join Manchester United next season?

Nkunku has already drawn attention from a number of teams, including Manchester United, and Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca appears willing to let the French attacker go. With Cole Palmer taking his best spot and being an immovable thing, Nkunku was additionally unable to pry away Nicolas Jackson, who similarly seldom gets pulled off or dropped and stays the favorite centre forward alternative for the Maresca.

Reports of the player's dissatisfaction are therefore not surprising, although it is unclear if Amorim will choose to spend what appears to be the majority of his January allocation on a different forward. As they allegedly intend to raid Amorim's former club Sporting CP with the goal to bolster their roster, particularly in the attack, the Red Devils appear to be connected to a number of players.