Deal in doubt: this club could hijack Nkunku from Bayern | OneFootball

Next twist in the poker for Christopher Nkunku: The transfer candidate for FC Bayern could now move to another club.

According to information from transfer expert David Ornstein, RB Leipzig is intensifying talks with Chelsea about a possible return of the 27-year-old. Unlike FC Bayern, which is banking on a loan model, the Saxons are aiming for a permanent transfer - exactly what both Nkunku and Chelsea prefer.

Nkunku himself is said to be open to a return to his former club. Between 2019 and 2023, he already played for Leipzig, scoring 70 goals in 172 competitive matches and winning the DFB Cup twice. The attacker is aware of his successful past with the Red Bulls and could well imagine taking on a central role there again. According to Ornstein, an agreement is not yet imminent, but Leipzig is working intensively on a solution.

For FC Bayern, this development is a bitter setback. The Munich team had earmarked Nkunku as the absolute desired solution for the offense. Following the departure of Kingsley Coman and injury problems in the squad, sporting director Max Eberl and coach Vincent Kompany are pushing for reinforcement. However, the guidelines from the club's top management make the project difficult: Uli Hoeneß made it clear that only loan players are considered to fill the personnel gap in the short term.

Hoeneß only approves loan

"I would strongly recommend supplementing the squad with a loan player who is under contract until June 30, 2026," Hoeneß told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. This set tight financial limits for Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund. However, Chelsea is only interested in a permanent sale and recently demanded around 40 million euros plus bonus payments. An initial loan offer from Bayern was already rejected.

Now Leipzig could benefit. The Red Bull club is ready to put money on the table for a permanent deal and thus meet Chelsea's demands.

There is no deal in sight yet, but time pressure is increasing. The deadline day on September 1st is getting closer and Bayern run the risk of being left without the desired top offensive man.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.