What reliable journo just heard this morning about Man Utd target Christopher Nkunku | OneFootball

Manchester United have been handed a small boost to their hopes of signing Christopher Nkunku this summer.

The out-of-favour Chelsea striker is reportedly expected to depart Stamford Bridge this summer following the arrival of João Pedro.

Bayern Munich insider Christian Falk told CF Bayern Insider that the reigning Bundesliga champions are taking a serious look at the versatile hitman.

However, it seems that the Bavarians are still far away from sealing a permanent move here. That’s despite ongoing talks with Nkunku’s agent, Pini Zahavi.

Bayern prioritising Nick Woltemade over Christopher Nkunku

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

For context, it’s worth emphasising that FC Bayern are hot in pursuit of VfB Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade.

In fact, the twice-capped German international is understood to be the Bundesliga champions’ top target to bolster the attack alongside Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.

So, Nkunku feels very much like an alternative on the club’s “long-list”, to quote a phrase from Christian Falk. That’s a viewpoint which has been echoed by Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg on X (formerly Twitter).

The Bavarian giants, in his words, ‘are still monitoring’ the Chelsea attacker, and further involvement in the summer transfer window depends on ‘incoming and outgoing decisions’ in the market.

Basically, Bayern are stuck twiddling their thumbs until the dominoes start falling. That’s sensational news for United if we’re seriously interested in pursuing Nkunku.

How much will it cost Manchester United to sign Nkunku?

Given that fellow Manchester United target Hugo Ekitike is valued at €100m [£86.6m], you could forgive director of football Jason Wilcox for casting his gaze at Chelsea’s undervalued striker.

And boy does Christopher Nkunku seem undervalued at a thrifty £35m, which is Chelsea’s alleged asking price, according to the Mirror.

That’s well under half of Ekitike’s price-tag for a player who can deliver domestically and in Europe. Yes, there are the injuries to consider, and the Frenchman has missed 54 games (Transfermarkt) for club and country since the 2023/24 season, owing to a varied collection of injury issues.

However, in amongst that, there have been plenty of signs to suggest that Nkunku could thrive in the Premier League if a club were to seriously back him.

* Christopher Nkunku’s goal contributions stats from 61 games (all competitions) with Chelsea, via Transfermarkt

A rate of a goal or assist every 123.04 minutes puts the Blues star on par with Manchester United new boys Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, by the way.

He’s had some pretty bad luck on the injury front since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. However, if we’re confident that United could keep him fit for a prolonged period, there’s a serious striker to unlock in the 27-year-old.

It just depends on whether we’re willing to take the potential gamble this summer.