Chelsea FC are off until the post Boxing Day clash against Bournemouth on December 27. Although they do have a friendly against Aston Villa on December 11 in the meantime and in between time. With that extended time off, it’s time to talk some Chelsea transfer rumors. And we have a double shot of Chelsea transfer talk for you today- the first set is over at this link.
So let’s dive right in, starting with the latest on the pursuit of RB Leipzig attacker Christopher Nkunku. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the famous “here we go” guy, Tweeted:
“Chelsea are closing in on Christopher Nkunku deal. Medical already done as reported in September, agreement in place with Leipzig for more than €60m clause / easier payment terms. Long term deal agreed starting from June 2023. Time to sign contracts then… here we go.”
OMG! Twitter still exists? Elon Musk hasn’t completely burned it to the ground yet? We kid, we kid. But honestly, at this point, transfer news, only when it comes from people who are trusted sources like Romano, is one of the few things that Twitter is still useful for. Nkunku, 25, is one of several high profile players who were too injured to play for France at the World Cup.
Despite missing Nkunku, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, France are doing just fine so far. The defending champions have won both of their group stage games, and they became the first nation to qualify for the knockout round. Brazil soon joined them.
Elsewhere midfield maven Mateo Kovacic still has an uncertain future with the club. The Croatian was set to sign a deal before jetting off to Qatar, but it didn’t happen and now no one knows when it might occur. He’s played very well at the World Cup thus far, helping his side, who finished runners-up last time out, to a resounding 4-1 win over Canada that saw the Canucks become the second team eliminated from the tournament.
Kovacic has a deal that runs until June 2024, but Chelsea are hoping to get him locked up before he gets into that 18 months left on his contract zone, a time when it is very common for players to shop around for new teams, and vice versa.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.
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