Chelsea confirm £53m Christopher Nkunku transfer as RB Leipzig forward joins Blues on six-year deal

• Chelsea announce Nkunku
• Deal had been in place since last year
• France international signs six-year contract

WHAT HAPPENED: The Frenchman's proposed switch to Stamford Bridge was the worst-kept secret in football over the past year, as he reportedly passed a medical and agreed to sign for the Blues back in December. Chelsea had to wait until the end of the 2022-23 campaign to trigger his £53m release clause, but the transfer has now officially gone through. Nkunku has committed his future to the Blues through to 2029, bringing to an end his four-year stay at RB Leipzig.

WHAT THEY SAID: The 25-year-old expressed his delight over the move in a statement on Chelsea's official website, which reads: "I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea. 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. Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world. I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt."

Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley added: "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. He has demonstrated his ability at the highest level with RB Leipzig and France and we look forward to him joining up with his new teammates ahead of the new season."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Nkunku started his career at Paris Saint-Germain back in 2015, but left to join RB Leipzig four years later after struggling for regular minutes at Parc des Princes. The France international went on to record 70 goals and 56 assists in 172 appearances across all competitions for the Bundesliga club, winning two DFB-Pokal titles along the way. Nkunku has also won 10 caps for France to date, with his latest appearance coming from the bench in a 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Greece.

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WHAT'S NEXT FOR CHELSEA? Nkunku is unlikely to be the last new arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer, with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino set to overhaul the squad after a disastrous 2022-23 campaign. Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson is also reportedly closing in on a switch to Chelsea, and they have also been strongly linked with West Ham's Declan Rice.