Aston Villa eye shock Chelsea transfer after poor start

In partnership with

The Football Faithful

·24 August 2025

Aston Villa eye shock Chelsea transfer after poor start

Aston Villa have reportedly contacted Chelsea about potentially signing Christopher Nkunku in the final week of the summer transfer window.

The Villans are looking to improve their attack after failing to score in either of their opening two Premier League matches, taking just one point from a possible six.

OneFootball Videos

Evan Guessand arrived as a replacement for Jhon Duran, who left in January, but Unai Emery lost Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford following the end of their loan spells, while Leon Bailey has joined AS Roma on a season-long loan.

Aston Villa ‘contact’ Chelsea over shock Nkunku transfer

Villa are now looking to remedy that situation, with Fabrizio Romano reporting they have “made contact” with Chelsea and have been “informed” on the conditions for a possible deal for Nkunku.

The France international, who was omitted from the squad for their opening weekend draw with Crystal Palace and the 5-1 win over West Ham United on Friday, is looking to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.

Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig have engaged in talks over signing the 27-year-old, but negotiations have hit a roadblock as Chelsea want to offload the player on a permanent basis, not on loan. Inter Milan have also been linked with a move.

Villa enquired about Nkunku after calling the Blues about Nicolas Jackson, who is up for sale. The Midlands outfit “want” the striker, but a transfer would be “difficult” as they face a lot of competition for his signature.

Jackson, along with Raheem Sterling, is training away from the rest of the team, while Nkunku remains with the squad.

“We have still two weeks. No idea [whether they will still be at Chelsea] because it is difficult to plan because anything can happen,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

Asked about the possibility of new signings before the transfer window closes, Villa boss Emery told BBC Match of the Day: “We are going to try and recover first mentally and continue working.”