Chelsea have conducted plenty of transfer business with Premier League rivals Aston Villa recently. With just a week left in the summer window, two Blues players are now linked with a potential switch to Villa Park.
Chelsea sold Ian Maatsen to Villa back in 2024 and Axel Disasi spent the second half of last season on loan with the Midlands giants.
Blues striker Nicolas Jackson, 24, is one individual currently linked with a move to join Unai Emery’s side.
Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea are trying to sell Jackson because he’s slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. Apparently, Villa are exploring a move to sign Jackson before the window shuts, but any deal may need to be a loan with an obligation to buy.
The latest transfer speculation indicates that Aston Villa have now enquired about signing another player from Chelsea.
Chelsea's players lift the Club World Cup trophy after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Aston Villa ask about Christopher Nkunku
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Saturday night that Villa have asked about signing Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku in the last 24 hours.
Romano said via his YouTube channel: “Aston Villa want Jackson, but they believe that the deal is not easy because there are many clubs in the mix – Newcastle United, Bayern Munich, several clubs calling. Aston Villa, after calling for Nicolas Jackson, also called in the last 24 hours for Christopher Nkunku.
“Nkunku remains one of the big names on the market. Jackson and Nkunku are ready to leave Chelsea in this final week. Interest we know from Bayern, but they wanted a loan; Chelsea want permanent. Interest from RB Leipzig, but a similar situation. So now also Aston Villa are showing an interest in Christopher Nkunku.”
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As mentioned above, Villa are now after both Jackson and Nkunku in the closing stages of the summer window. From Chelsea’s perspective, they need to find any kind of suitor, or they could be left with a couple of unhappy players.
Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are confident of agreeing to re-sign Nkunku, but they now face this late interest from Villa.
Even though the 27-year-old attacker has struggled to find his best form during two years at Chelsea, he was previously prolific in Germany. He scored 70 goals and created 56 assists in 172 Leipzig appearances across all competitions.
Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea applauds during the Club World Cup final.
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
Has Christopher Nkunku flopped at Chelsea?
If Nkunku leaves Chelsea during the final week of the transfer window, he should look back at his time in West London with some major frustration.
It cost the Blues around £52m (BBC) to sign Nkunku from Leipzig in June 2023. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to live up to the immense hype, which came from his incredible form in the German league.
Appearances Goals Assists Trophies
62 18 5 2
Christopher Nkunku’s record at Chelsea
We would reluctantly have to label Nkunku as a flop signing from Chelsea, even though his record isn’t too bad.
The Frenchman was extremely unlucky with his timing because he joined at the same time as Cole Palmer, who’s developed and become the talisman at Stamford Bridge. In contrast, Nkunku has struggled with injuries, inconsistency and his position in the team.
While we could see him adding something extra to Villa’s squad, it may be best to secure a return to the Bundesliga.