Arsenal have watched on as Chelsea have endured a difficult window and their latest efforts to arrest a frustrating summer of transfer activity could end up helping the Gunners.
Chelsea have allowed Timo Werner to rejoin RB Leipzig in a permanent move that football.london has been told could be worth around £25 million. After Romelu Lukaku departed for Inter Milan and the German forward now gone too, only Kai Havertz, Armando Broja and Michy Batshuayi remain as natural central forwards.
The Blues had been linked with a move for Benjamin Sesko and according to Slovenian journalist Rok Viskovic, via the Express, had looked to rival both Manchester United and PSG for his signature. However, it is now expected that Sesko will remain with Salzburg before joining RB Leipzig in 2023.
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Arsenal come into the fold with the potential move for a Leipzig player whose impending departure next summer would now be covered by the arrival of Sesko. Christopher Nkunku was close to an Arsenal move in 2019 but instead left PSG for Leipzig where he has thrived.
The Gunners’ interest has not waned in that time, with as recently as June seeing the Independent reporting that Arsenal would be willing to meet the £100 million asking price set by the Bundesliga club. Nkunku signed a new deal less than two weeks after the reported interest, but there is a feeling this was done to protect Leipzig ahead of a sale in just a year’s time.
football.london understands that Chelsea too admire Nkunku. The Frenchman wants to remain in the Champions League, and this opens up a potential battle between west and north London.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to be fierce competitors for the top four race this season along with London rivals Tottenham. Manchester United’s opening day defeat could be a sign that their realistic aims lie lower whilst Erik ten Hag adjusts to life in the northwest.
If Arsenal were to beat Chelsea to the Champions League qualification spots, their interest in Nkunku could be revived in the knowledge they can offer the Frenchman the level of football he craves. The potential to see a front line with Nkunku added to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus is something quite special.
Nkunku has been able to prove himself both centrally and in wide areas and it is no surprise the club has continued to keep tabs on him throughout Mikel Arteta and Edu’s tenure together with the club. Yet a future move still potentially rests on the outcome of this new season.
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