Chelsea Signs Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig on 6-Year Deal

French forward Christopher Nkunku gives a press conference during the preparation of the French squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament qualifying matches, in Clairefontaine in June 10, 2023. (AFP)
French forward Christopher Nkunku gives a press conference during the preparation of the French squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament qualifying matches, in Clairefontaine in June 10, 2023. (AFP)
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Chelsea Signs Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig on 6-Year Deal

French forward Christopher Nkunku gives a press conference during the preparation of the French squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament qualifying matches, in Clairefontaine in June 10, 2023. (AFP)
French forward Christopher Nkunku gives a press conference during the preparation of the French squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament qualifying matches, in Clairefontaine in June 10, 2023. (AFP)

Chelsea signed France forward Christopher Nkunku from Leipzig on a six-year contract on Tuesday.

The London club spent around $630 million last season and has got its latest recruitment drive up and running with the deal for the highly rated Nkunku. His contract starts on July 1.

”A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and teammates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch," the 25-year-old Nkunku said.

Chelsea endured a miserable first year under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. It recorded its lowest ever points total in the Premier League and missed out on qualification for Europe.

Managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were discarded and club icon Frank Lampard returned in an interim role to see out the season. Former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed and charged with the responsibility of turning around Chelsea's fortunes.

Nkunku is expected to kick off another busy summer at Stamford Bridge.

“Christopher has proved himself one of the standout attacking players in European football over the past two seasons and will add quality, creativity and versatility to our squad,” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a statement.

Nkunku has been capped 10 times by France and played for Paris Saint-Germain before joining Leipzig in 2019.



France Call up Olise again as Mbappe Rested for Nations League games

Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
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France Call up Olise again as Mbappe Rested for Nations League games

Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

France have again called up Michael Olise as they prepare for this month's Nations League games against Israel and Belgium without Kylian Mbappe who has been struggling with injury.

The 22-year-old English-born midfielder won his first two caps against Italy and Belgium last month and in the absence of midfielder Antoine Griezmann, who announced his retirement from international football earlier this week, the Bayern Munich player was once more picked by Didier Deschamps on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Captain Mbappe, who picked up a muscle injury last month playing for Real Madrid in LaLiga, featured for 35 minutes in the club's 1-0 Champions League loss at Lille on Wednesday, but the forward was not deemed fit enough for international duty.

"He has a problem that is not serious. I'm not here to take risks, which is why Kylian isn't on the list," Deschamps told a press conference.

Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku was also called up 15 months after claiming his last cap in a 1-0 win against Greece.

France are second in Group A2 with three points from two games, three points behind Italy. They face Israel in Budapest on Oct. 10 and Belgium in Brussels four days later.