Fans may be wondering why Christopher Nkunku has not been pictured after Chelsea returned to training today.
Some may have assumed that the Frenchman had picked up an injury of some kind but that is not the case.
The Athletic have confirmed that Nkunku “has been given permission” by the Blues to miss the start of pre-season as he looks to seal a move away from Stamford Bridge.
It is believed that several teams in England, Italy and Germany have made enquiries about the 27-year-old in recent weeks and his departure after two years in England is looking inreasingly likely
2 destinations have already been ruled out for the Chelsea star
Manchester United have registered their interest in Nkunku in recent months and there have even been suggestions that a swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho could be on the cards.
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However, it is believed that the Red Devils are now focused on other transfer targets. They are currently battling Newcastle for Benjamin Sesko.
A return to RB Leipzig is another move that has been explored, with it being reported that Nkunku could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Xavi Simons. However, The Athletic also deem this transfer as “unlikely”.
Nkunku is not the only player set to leave this month
Everton have agreed a fee for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Burnley are likely to wrap up the signature of Lesley Ugochukwu very soon, while Marc Guiu is expected to join Sunderland on loan.
There are also reports that Borussia Dortmund are set to sign Carney Chukwuemeka, while there is optimism that the likes of Renato Veiga and Axel Disasi will be offloaded soon as well.
Chelsea have already raised an impressive £200m from sales this summer, and there is an expectation that another £100m to £150m could be brought in before the transfer deadline on September 1st.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here