Newcastle United have reportedly joined the race to sign Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
The French attacker is out-of-favour under Enzo Maresca and was dropped from the matchday squad in **Chelsea's 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace**in the Premier League on Sunday.
Nkunku scored 15 goals in all competitions and provided five assists in 2024-25, but he made only nine starts in the league.
The former RB Leipzig winger is likely to drop down the pecking order at Chelsea following the arrivals of Joao Pedro, Estevao, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens.
Newcastle join Bayern Munich in the race to sign Nkunku?
Après avoir fait une demande de prêt pour Christopher Nkunku, refusée par Chelsea, le Bayern Munich va revenir à la charge avec une offre de transfert. L’Inter Milan et Newcastle sont également revenus dans la course. Deux projets qui intéressent le Français. #Mercato
— Marc Mechenoua (@LeMechenoua) August 18, 2025
Nkunku has been heavily linked with a move to Bayern this summer, but the German champions are not finding it easy to strike a deal.
According to Marc Mechenoua, Premier League rivals Newcastle and Serie A giants Inter Milan are also in the race to sign Nkunku, who is valued at around £35m.
The Le Parisien journalist has claimed that Chelsea have rejected an offer from Bayern, but the German giants are planning to come up with a permanent bid for the winger.
The Magpies have recently completed the signing of Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, but they are still looking to bolster their attacking areas, and Nkunku fits the bill nicely.
Boost for Newcastle in Nkunku chase?
Chelsea's Christopher Nkunku celebrates on February 25, 2025
Chelsea are in desperate need to offload some of their unwanted players, and Nkunku is one of them. However, the Blues are reluctant to offload him on loan; rather, they are looking to sell him permanently.
Nkunku's agent, Pini Zahavi, has reportedly informed Bayern that the winger, who has a contract until 2029 at Chelsea, wants to stay for another year.
The situation is complicated as Nkunku needs to leave the Blues to play regularly, and he prefers a move to Bayern. If the Bundesliga giants fail to reach an agreement, it could open up the door for Newcastle to lure him away from the London club.
The Magpies failed to land a top striker this summer, losing prime targets Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko to Liverpool and Manchester United, respectively, and they have yet to resolve Alexander Isak's situation.
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