According to ESPN, Manchester United are monitoring the situation of Chelsea playmaker Christopher Nkunku amid the Blues’ interest in signing Alejandro Garnacho.
Chelsea are interested in bringing Garnacho to Stamford Bridge this winter, and they have received a boost with the Argentine preferring to continue in the Premier League. The Blues have yet to make a formal approach for the 20-year-old, but Man United have asked to be informed over the developments of Nkunku.
Nkunku was linked with a move to Bayern Munich earlier in the transfer window, but there has been no progress. United have now entered the race for the Frenchman, who was on their radar when he was at Leipzig.
The attacker has failed to break into the starting plans of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca in the Premier League this campaign. He has made only 3 starts with Nicolas Jackson favoured over him to lead the attack.
Possible swap
Nkunku arrived at the London heavyweights with a huge reputation from Bundesliga. He scored and assisted plenty of goals, but has failed to find the same consistency at Chelsea. It has been partly due to limited playing time.
The Frenchman’s debut campaign was disrupted with plenty of injury concerns. He has stayed fit from the beginning of this campaign, but Maresca has often preferred Jackson over him to lead the line in the league.
Nkunku can also play from the no.10 role, but Cole Palmer’s exceptional record at Chelsea means he has hardly got a chance. He can also operate from either wing, but Maresca does not seem to fancy him in those positions.
United have now joined the pursuit for his signature. With Chelsea’s interest in landing Garnacho, the Red Devils could propose to sign the Frenchman in an exchange deal with the Blues paying an additional transfer fee.
The £42 million star would be perfect for the Red Devils in a 3-4-2-1 formation. He could play as the main striker ahead of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who have failed to score goals on a regular basis this season.
Nkunku could also feature as an attacking midfielder alongside Bruno Fernandes. The ‘world-class‘ star started his playing career in the no.8 role and it is another position that manager Ruben Amorim could utilise him from.
The former Paris Saint-Germain graduate could be persuade to join with guaranteed first-team football. He has 13 goals and 4 assists for Chelsea this season and his statistics could get better with consistent minutes from the XI.
