English soccer team Chelsea on Tuesday officially announced the signing of 25-year-old French international Christopher Nkunku from German club Leipzig, who has signed a six-season contract starting July 1.
In a statement issued by the club, Nkunku, who trained at Paris Saint-Germain, expressed his excitement at joining Chelsea: “A great effort has been made to bring me to the club. I’m looking forward to meeting my new manager and teammates and showing Chelsea fans what I can achieve on the pitch.”
Although the transfer fee has not been officially disclosed, it is estimated at around 60 million euros ($65.5 million), according to the trade press.
Nkunku, who can play as a midfielder or second striker, has had two good seasons with Leipzig since his arrival in 2019. He scored 35 goals in all competitions during the 2021–22 season and 23 goals in the 2022–23 season.
The French player, despite missing several months due to an injury that kept him out of the World Cup in Qatar, finished the Bundesliga season as the top scorer with 16 goals, tied with Werder Bremen’s Niclas Füllkrug.
Chelsea sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley highlighted Nkunku’s qualities in the club’s statement: “Christopher has proven himself to be one of the best attacking players in Europe over the past two seasons and will bring quality, creativity, and versatility to our team.
Nkunku, who has won Ligue 1 three times with PSG and the German Cup in 2022 and 2023 with Leipzig, has been capped ten times by the French national team. He was born in Lagny-sur-Marne, on the outskirts of Paris.