'If I was his father I'd be very worried!' - Christopher Nkunku told he agreed £53m Chelsea transfer ‘far too early’ as Ralf Rangnick points out Blues in a 'state'

• French forward starring in Germany
• Talk of deal struck at Stamford Bridge
• Premier League heavyweights in a mess

WHAT HAPPENED? There has been no official word when it comes to the France international’s future, but Premier League heavyweights are reported to have struck a deal with RB Leipzig back in December that will bring the talented 25-year-old onto their books during the summer of 2023. Nkunku is said to have attracted interest from leading sides across Europe, with 17 goals added this term to the 35 he managed last season, and Rangnick believes a player he helped to take to Germany in 2019 has made the wrong decision in lining up a big-money switch to Stamford Bridge.

WHAT THEY SAID: Former Leipzig boss Rangnick has told ZDF: “I’m thinking of a player whose arrival at RB Leipzig I was a little bit involved in: Christopher Nkunku. For me, one of the best attacking midfielders currently available and who, in my opinion, decided to move to Chelsea far too early. Can you imagine that such an outstanding player comes to a club that is in the state Chelsea are in at the moment? Personally, this hurts my heart. If I were his advisor or his father, I would be very worried right now.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with it possible that they will be without European football in 2023-24, and ex-Manchester United interim boss Rangnick has warned the likes of Julian Nagelsmann against taking the reins in west London. He added: “At the moment, no matter who comes as a coach, you can’t really recommend anyone to go there. The very first thing to do is establish some sort of strategy and reduce the squad to a reasonable size that any coach can work with.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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(C)Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Chelsea have invested around £600m ($743m) on fresh faces across the last two transfer windows, but consistency has proved hard to come by and the Blues have already relieved Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter of their managerial duties in the current campaign – leaving them with work to do on and off the pitch.