According to a report from French publication Foot Mercato, Real Madrid are set for a major transfer war for Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester City next year for the signing of RB Leipzig’s French midfielder Christopher Nkunku.

Nkunku came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain and showed great promise during his time at the French capital club, going on to make nearly 80 senior appearances before securing a transfer to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2019. Since then, the 23-year-old has continued to enhance his reputation with his performances in Germany.

Nkunku has featured 94 times for the Bundesliga giants so far, registering 21 goals and setting up 30 more across all competitions, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young attacking midfielders in the German top-flight. Known for his versatile nature and ability to contribute goals, Nkunku has now emerged as a top target for several clubs in Europe.

Real Madrid have been linked on and off with Nkunku in the past but seem set to make a concrete push for his signing in the upcoming transfer windows. While the Merengues bolstered their midfield unit with Eduardo Camavinga earlier this year, Luka Modric is pretty much in the final leg of his career.

Knunku has been a major success at Leipzig. Toni Kroos, too, has struggled with injuries and will need to be managed carefully. And with the likes of Isco and Dani Ceballos staring at non-existent futures at the Santiago Bernabeu, it bodes well for Los Blancos to bring in a creative midfielder like Nkunku. In fact, their good relationship with his agent, Pini Zahavi, does give them an advantage.

However, they are now set to face competition from Premier League bigwigs and reigning European champions Chelsea. The Blues’ manager Thomas Tuchel knows Nkunku very well having worked with him closely during the pair’s time at PSG. The German played a key part in the 23-year-old’s development and is seemingly now keen on pairing up with him again at Stamford Bridge.

While Chelsea have a plethora of attacking midfielders at their disposal already, things don’t seem to be working out well for Hakim Ziyech, who has not found regular game-time under Tuchel. With the likes of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz also failing to make the kind of impact expected and Ross Barkley seemingly not favoured a great deal either, someone of Nkunku’s ilk would be a viable addition.

Manchester City are also said to be keen on signing the Frenchman. Like Chelsea, Manchester City are also loaded with options in the attacking midfield region. However, Raheem Sterling has found game-time hard to come by under Pep Guardiola this season and could soon be on his way out.

In addition, Bernardo Silva is also being heavily linked with an exit in the near future. And, Nkunku can be a proper replacement for the Portuguese international should he indeed depart the Etihad Stadium. Contracted with Leipzig till the summer of 2024, Nkunku could spart a major transfer battle between the three giants come summer.

Source: Hard Tackle