Chelsea and RB Leipzig consider Xavi Simons-Christopher Nkunku swap deal | OneFootball

The Guardian reports that RB Leipzig and Chelsea are considering a swap deal involving Xavi Simons and Christopher Nkunku. Returning Nkunku to the Bundesliga – a league in which he enjoyed great success and was very much a fan favorite – doesn’t seem wholly impractical. Nkunku’s estimated market worth has fallen by more than half since he moved to London.

Leipzig continue to await Chelsea’s first move in the case of Simons. The Premier League club’s interest in the €70m-valued Dutchman remains common knowledge, but many earlier reports suggesting that the two sides were close to sealing a deal proved patently false. A straight swap of Simons for Nkunku naturally wouldn’t work as the French striker maintains an estimated €35m market worth.

The German Red Bulls – seeking a replacement for the departed Benjamin Sesko – would presumably be pleased to welcome back a forward who scored 70 goals in 172 competitive appearances in RB dress between 2019 and 2023. The current Leipzig administrative team might still do well to remember the case of Timo Werner, who was not able to recapture his form in Saxony after a poor stint with Chelsea.

One problem naturally concerns the fact that Nkunku would have to agree to a pay-cut as part of the deal. Leipzig themselves are still trying to reduce their oversized 35-man-squad. Strikers Werner and André Silva count as high-payroll pieces of dead-weight the RB office wishes to move. Both Werner’s move to RB New York and Silva’s sale to Bremen are being held up by salary issues.

GGFN | Peter Weis