Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea celebrates with his teammates after scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match against Heidenheim. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Christopher Nkunku appears to be unhappy at Chelsea, and it has emerged that his agent, Pini Zahavi, has approached Barcelona regarding his client.
Interestingly, Zahavi can also number Barcelona first-team head coach, Hansi Flick, and striker, Robert Lewandowski, as clients.
Catalan outlet, Sport, note that Christopher Nkunku would prefer to leave the club now, but the £52m-rated striker (Sky Sports) will have to wait as the report suggests Barca aren’t willing to move for him in the January window.
Christopher Nkunku offered to Barcelona
It isn’t clear at this point how willing Enzo Maresca and the Chelsea board would be to accede to allowing the striker to leave West London at any point, nor has a sale price been discussed.
The 27-year-old hasn’t been a regular for the Blues, but has still managed to score 15 goals and provide four assists (transfermarkt).
Nicolas Jackson’s form has been brilliant in the 2024/25 season – nine goals and three assists – and to that end it’s no wonder that Maresca continues to leave the former RB Leipzig ace on the sidelines.
Lewandowski continues to score goals in the Spanish top-flight at a rate of knots too, and it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that next summer might be a better time for Zahavi to get Nkunku in at the Spanish giants as the Polish hit-man starts to wind down his professional career at the top level.
Lewandowski threatens Christopher Nkunku’s aspirations
Sport do also note that Nkunku wants a starting spot were he to move on, given that he’s only started two of Chelsea’s 17 Premier League games this season.
Given Lewandowski’s form, that’s unlikely to happen if the striker stays at Barcelona, as expected, for another season.
Clearly, the current situation is an untenable one for Nkunku, so if not Barcelona, another European giant will surely come in for him.