Manchester United have reportedly made a shock move to sign a struggling Chelsea forward, as their chase for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo continues to stall amid a continued scrap with Tottenham Hotspur for his services.
The Red Devils are being tipped to resume talks with Brentford aimed at striking a full agreement to sign Mbeumo this week, with TEAMtalk continually stating the player’s desire to make the switch to Old Trafford.
Indeed, personal terms with the player have quickly been agreed but striking a club-to-club agreement has proved much trickier.
That delay has opened the door for Spurs to try and hijack the transfer themselves, now that they have former Bees boss Thomas Frank in charge. With that possibility still in play, a fresh report claims that Man Utd are weighing up alternatives to Mbeumo, one of which is Blues attacker Christopher Nkunku.
A report from French outlet L’Equipe claims that Red Devils bosses have begun dialogue with Nkunku’s agent to discuss a possible switch to Old Trafford.
Nkunku is looking to leave Chelsea this summer after struggling for Premier League minutes under Enzo Maresca during the 2024/25 campaign.
The Frenchman featured mainly in the Conference League and made just nine starts in the league last term, scoring only three goals in the process.
Nkunku’s contract runs until 2029, but TEAMtalk have previously revealed Chelsea’s willingness to cash in on the forward in order to bring in other targets this summer.
While L’Equipe states that United have spoken to the player’s entourage in recent days, there has not yet been any club-to-club contract over a potential transfer.
United are also not the only club in play to sign Nkunku, with European heavyweights Bayern Munich and Barcelona also linked with a move for a player who has not lived up to reputation in west London.
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Chelsea looking to recoup £35m for Nkunku
The Blues, meanwhile, are reportedly looking to a recoup a fee in the region of £35m for Nkuknu, having splashed out £52m for in July 2023.
The attacker is not in Maresca’s long-term plans at Stamford Bridge and remains hopeful of securing an exit this summer in order to resurrect his career.
Indeed, Nkunku’s hopes of trying to get any respectable game time next season suffered a further blow when Liam Delap arrived from Chelsea, while the Blues are expected to renew their chase for Borussia Dortmund forward Jamie Gittens when the Club World Cup comes to an end.
As for where Nkunku could line up in Amorim’s formation, the France international is capable of playing in multiple positions – although the majority of his games for Chelsea last season came in the No.9 role.
While not quite as explosive a threat as Mbeumo, Nkunku did chalk up an incredible 125 goals/assists in 172 games for Leipzig before joining Chelsea. That proves that the Frenchman is a high-level performer when given the chance the shine – something that could happen with a change of scenery at Old Trafford, if United do indeed decide to make an official bid for the player.
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