Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are convinced they can sign a high-profile Chelsea player for just £35 million this summer, with BlueCo apparently weighing up the possibility of taking a significant loss on his sale.
Chelsea open talks for "new attacking priority" with near-£40m deal possible
He’s already expressed his desire to join them.
ByEmilio GalantiniJul 23, 2025
The west Londoners have a glaring need to balance the books after their recent pact with UEFA.
Chelsea essentially agreed to balance out transfers through player sales this summer, or risk not being able to register new signings for their Champions League squad next season (Kaveh Solhekol), and there are many players in contention to leave Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
Any potential incomings, like their current pursuit of RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons, could well hinge on their ability to offload certain squad members.
Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Nicolas Jackson, João Félix, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile and Alfie Gilchrist have all been mentioned as players who could depart Chelsea before deadline day on September 1, with versatile attacker Christopher Nkunku also attracting serious interest.
The Frenchman actually racked up 15 goals and five assists in all competitions last term, including some noteworthy displays at the Club World Cup, but Nkunku has apparently been told that he’ll be a squad player next season if he stays.
In terms of potential suitors, Man United are said to have explored a swap deal for Nkunku involving Alejandro Garnacho, and fellow Premier League side Newcastle United have registered an interest in the 27-year-old too (Simon Phillips).
However, according to a report by TEAMtalk, both teams face stiff competition from Vincent Kompany’s Bayern.
Bayern Munich convinced they can sign Christopher Nkunku for £35m
Nkunku actually “100%” agreed personal terms over a move to the Allianz Arena in January, according to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, and it appears the Bavarians haven’t given up hope of bringing the former RB Leipzig star back to Germany.
TEAMtalk claim there is a belief at Bayern that they could sign Nkunku for as little as £35 million – £17m less than the £52m Chelsea paid for him in 2023 – and the report suggests that is actually a very realistic possibility.
United are named as rival suitors in the race for Nkunku, so Kompany won’t have a free run, but Nkunku is believed to remain keen on a move to Bayern with the European heavyweights also “prioritising” a move for him.
Maresca is on record stating he ‘loves’ Nkunku, but the competition for places in his squad means that he could find better luck getting minutes elsewhere.
There is no denying his quality, though, as evident by his return last season, with teammate João Félix calling him a “top player” and a pleasure to play with too.
