Chelsea ‘Reject’ Christopher Nkunku Bid, Blues Exit ‘at Risk of Collapse’

Chelsea have turned down a loan bid from Bayern Munich for French forward Christopher Nkunku, whose exit from Stamford Bridge is now reported to be in doubt.

Bayern are back in pursuit of Nkunku after accepting defeat in their bid to sign Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, and the 27-year-old is thought to be keen on the move after two years at Chelsea which have yielded just 11 Premier League starts.

Nkunku has been left out of Chelsea’s last three matchday squads in anticipation of a possible exit and numerous outlets have now reported on a loan bid from Bayern which was firmly rebuffed by the Blues.

According to the Daily Mail, both Chelsea and Nkunku are pushing for a permanent sale this summer, challenging Bayern to raise their bid just days after the Bundesliga champions failed with a €60 million (£51.8 million, $70.2 million) offer for Woltemade.

Whether Bayern will return with a new proposal remains to be seen, but German media soon switched their tone on Nkunku’s future. BILD report on conversations with the Frenchman’s agent, Pini Zahavi, who has spoken to Chelsea and is claimed to have then informed Bayern that the 27-year-old is now likely to remain at Stamford Bridge for at least another season.

Christopher Nkunku — Nkunku has struggled for minutes since joining Chelsea. | Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images

However, a later update from Fabrizio Romano revealed the line of communication between Chelsea and Bayern remains active. It is suggested that Bayern could be open to a loan with a conditional obligation, with negotiations expected to continue into the coming days.

Florian Plettenberg adds that Nkunku has already agreed personal terms with Bayern, with only an agreement between the two clubs left to be found.

Chelsea are known to be keen to sell Nkunku for a multitude of reasons. While his exit would open up a spot for one of Xavi Simons or Alejandro Garnacho to be signed, the Blues also need to raise funds from a specific group of player sales to avoid fresh UEFA fines.

After being punished for breaching financial regulations relating to the cost of their squad earlier this summer, Chelsea need to cash in on players who were registered in last season’s European squad to avoid further punishments. The likes of Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson could be sacrificed as selling returning loanees like Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi or Carney Chukwuemeka would not count towards the regulations.