According to reports, Manchester United ‘want’ to sign a Chelsea star and this deal is ‘expected to move quickly’ amid one ‘firm’ demand.
Man Utd made a positive start to this summer’s transfer window as they moved quickly to land Matheus Cunha, activating the £62.5m release clause in his Wolves contract.
However, the Red Devils have stuttered in recent weeks as they are still working on a deal to sign their next summer target, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.
It remains to be seen whether Ruben Amorim‘s side will reach an agreement for Mbeumo, who scored 20 Premier League goals last season, as Brentford are currently refusing to reduce their reported £70m asking price.
It would be a big boost for Man Utd if they land Mbeumo, but they would still have lots to do this summer even if they secured the forward’s services.
United need upgrades in several positions after they finished 15th in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy next season, with one of their priorities being to sign a striker.
READ: Rashford to Arsenal among eight logical Man Utd transfer reunions this summer
As proven by their pursuits of Cunha and Mbeumo, United’s hierarchy is aware that they need more goals in the team after they were toothless in attack last season.
This was not helped by Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee only scored seven Premier League goals between them in 2024/25.
Man Utd have already missed out on a couple of targets, with Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres deciding to snub the Red Devils to join Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively.
This leaves United scouring the market for alternatives and they have been sporadically linked with Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku over the past year.
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Nkunku is enduring a nightmare spell at Chelsea following his £52m move from RB Leipzig. He missed most of his debut campaign in 2023/24 due to injury, while he was behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order last season.
Chelsea are likely to cash in on Nkunku this summer as he’s a prime candidate to leave as they look to balance the books.
A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims Man Utd ‘want to sign’ Nkunku, while Chelsea have made a clear request to ‘release’ the attacker.
The Blues are said to have ‘set a firm price’ for Nkunku, with £35m demanded for the Frenchman.
This deal has been tipped to ‘move quickly’, though it does hinge on one ‘key’ factor.
‘Manchester United, for their part, will have to assess whether they are willing to meet that fee to sign Nkunku, who could be a significant reinforcement for their attack. The Old Trafford club is looking to give their squad more options to compete in the Premier League and European competitions.
‘Negotiations are in their early stages, but are expected to move quickly as both parties appear interested in reaching an agreement. The key will be finding a financial compromise that satisfies Chelsea without requiring United to make an excessive outlay.’
