Premier League side Chelsea have secured the signing of RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku, find out more about his brief bio, age, height, contract details, transfer fee, shirt number, salary, country, position, and more
Prior to the transfer, Nkunku has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge since January 2023.
Christopher Nkunku Chelsea contract details, salary, transfer fee, jersey number and position
Official, confirmed. Christopher Nkunku signed a six year deal as Chelsea player valid until June 2029. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Fee close to €60m to RB Leipzig.
“I am incredibly happy — big effort was made to bring me to the club, I wanna show Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch”. pic.twitter.com/VIcgPnMmXN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2023
OFFICIAL: Christopher Nkunku has joined Chelsea on a six-year deal 🔵 pic.twitter.com/G3Tt4p2r2x
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 20, 2023
Nkunku is officially the first signing under the Mauricio Pochettino era as the Argentinian manager looks kick start a major squad revamp with the help of new club owner Todd Boehly.
Christopher Nkunku brief bio
Christopher Alan Nkunku is a French professional footballer who was born on 14 November 1997, in Lagny-sur-Marne, France. He is from the same area of east Paris as Paul Pogba, the commune of Lagny-sur-Marne. The Frenchman primarily plays as a midfielder or forward at both the club and international level.
Age and height
Christopher Nkunku is currently 25 years old and stands at a height of 1.75 m.
Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea transfer fee
Ever since new club owner Ted Boehly took over in May 2022, Chelsea have been spending huge sums on players and setting records during the 2022/23 summer and winter transfer windows.
Thomas Tuchel spent an estimated £240m/$307m last summer, breaking the previous overall Premier League record for a single transfer window. However, following his sacking, Graham Potter took charge and broke the record once more by spending £281m/$360m during the January winter transfer. Although Pochettino is unlikely to spend as much as the two before him, he has already spent around £52m/$66.4m on the deal to sign Nkunku.
Christopher Nkunku Chelsea contract details
Chelsea have secured Nkunku on a six-year contract, which goes up until the end of the 2027/28 season but his salary with the club isn’t known currently. Following his signing Nkunku revealed in his first interview with the club:
“I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea. A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I’m looking forward to meeting my new coach and teammates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch.”
Christopher Nkunku shirt number at Chelsea
At RB Leipzig, Nkunku wore the No.18 shirt for the last four seasons following his move from Paris Saint-Germain. Currently, Armando Broja wears the No.18 jersey at Chelsea, but he did not make a single appearance last season.
Nkunku could retain his favoured number, as Chelsea will either reassign Broja with a new number or potentially sell him. Another case would be Nkunku taking over the No.7 jersey if N’Golo Kante decides to moves on.
Christopher Nkunku international career
Nkunku is a France international player and he has so far secured 10 international caps under Didier Deschamps. Sadly, the 25-year-old missed joining the 2022 World Cup squad following an injury. Nkunku has represented France at four underage levels before eventually making his senior debut in 2022.
Christopher Nkunku Chelsea debut
With Chelsea completing a early summer deal for Nkunku, he will join up with Pochettino’s squad for their full preseason camp, with his contract formally beginning on July 1.
With preseason training due to start from early July, Nkunku is set to be included in Chelsea’s USA tour, with a potential debut in their opening fixture in North Carolina against Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham on July 19.
Christopher Nkunku Chelsea position
Christopher Nkunku possesses great tactical and positional flexibility. While Nkunku himself has previously stated that his favoured slots are as an advanced attacking/No.10-style midfielder, behind the main striker. However, Leipzig used him in both the attacking midfield role as well as a striker.
During the 2022/23 season, Nkunku scored 16 Bundesliga goals and 23 across all competitions. The fact that he scored 12 of those goals from a No.10 spot underlines his ability to score from a deeper starting role. The Frenchman ended the campaign as the Bundesliga’s joint-top scorer, which is an impressive feat for a player who doesn’t play solely as a striker.
Moreover, Pochettino already has several options in attacking midfield. However, with Mason Mount rumoured to leave, Nkunku could come in as a central forward-thinking midfielder. Midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic/Conor Gallagher could flank him in that position. RB Leipzig often played Nkunku as a pure No.10, with two holding midfielders in behind and pace out wide. As such, Chelsea could also adopt a similar style with the right players.
Chelsea are also still looking for a central striker, and with Kai Havertz’s future at Chelsea also in doubt, Nkunku could be the perfect cover.