Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku would find the prospect of joining Manchester United in January attractive, with the Frenchman ‘unhappy’ at Stamford Bridge due to a lack of game-time, according to Football Insider.
Nkunku has found the back of the net ten times already this season, but only one of these strikes has come in the Premier League, as Enzo Maresca has limited the versatile attacker to minutes in other competitions. Starting just once in the league, the 26-year-old is said to be frustrated by not playing regularly, and could itch for a move as soon as January if he can’t break into the first team.
United could look to pounce on this disgruntlement, with L’Équipe reporting that the Red Devils have enquired about Nkunku ahead of a potential move in the winter window
Since signing for Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2023 for a reported £52 million, Nkunku has endured a difficult period. Sustaining a significant knee injury in pre-season last year, the France international missed a substantial portion of his debut campaign in West London, starting just two league games.
After being named in Maresca’s first starting eleven as Blues boss against Manchester City on the opening day of this season, Nkunku, earning a purported £195,000 a week, has since not begun a league match. Evidently relegated to Chelsea’s second string side that predominantly features in the Europa Conference League, the former Paris Saint-Germain man isn’t understood to be happy with his peripheral role.
Given his versatility, he may have expected to find a position within Maresca’s attacking quartet. However, the Italian favours Nicolas Jackson down the middle, with Cole Palmer as a ten, and the likes of Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto out wide.
It looks increasingly unlikely that Nkunku will manage to garner regular minutes at Stamford Bridge, and thus an imminent transfer could be on the cards. Football Insider report that a potential switch to United would entice the striker, should the opportunity arise, as he seeks a more prominent role.
Ruben Amorim’s tenure in the Old Trafford hot-seat commenced this week, and the Portuguese may want immediate upgrades on under-performing stars like Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, thus making Nkunku a plausible target.
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