Leverkusen Rival Aston Villa In  Nkunku Pursuit

Bayer Leverkusen will reportedly compete with Aston Villa to sign 27-year-old wantaway Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku in the final days of the summer transfer window.

According to a report by French outlet Foot Mercato, Christopher Nkunku is the subject of interest from Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga giants are keen on reinforcing their offensive unit by signing a versatile attacker before the summer transfer window shuts down. So, the 27-year-old wantaway Chelsea forward has emerged as a target for Die Werkself.

The Frenchman is also a target for Aston Villa, with the West Midlands outfit recently establishing contact over a possible move in the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa also face stiff competition from Galatasaray for Nkunku’s signature.

Christopher Nkunku and his frustrations

Christopher Nkunku has endured a topsy-turvy ride since joining Chelsea from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £52 million in July 2023. The 27-year-old versatile attacker’s arrival generated hype and fanfare among the Chelsea fans after his exploits in the Bundesliga. However, fitness issues blighted the player’s progress in his debut season, and he was in and out of the starting lineup in his second campaign.

Nevertheless, Nkunku has a decent tally of 18 goals and five assists in 62 outings thus far for Chelsea. However, the French international has no future at Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Maresca recently revealing that the Blues are working on his exit. The situation has piqued the attention of several high-profile clubs, with Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen among the prospective suitors vying for his signature in the final days of the summer transfer window.

A man in demand

Aston Villa’s interest in Christopher Nkunku makes sense. The Villans are scouring the market for a versatile attacker after failing to complete a permanent move for Marcus Rashford. With Youri Tielemans reprising the no. 10 role in the first two matches this season, signing the Chelsea attacker will enable Unai Emery to utilise the Aston Villa talisman in a deeper role.

As for Bayer Leverkusen, the summer transfer window has witnessed two critical attackers depart from BayArena, with Amine Adli and Florian Wirtz leaving the Bundesliga club. So, Die Werkself can do with a versatile forward, with Nkunku emerging as a viable target.

Recent reports have claimed that the 27-year-old Frenchman is keen on returning to the Bundesliga in the summer transfer window. That may boost Bayer Leverkusen’s prospects, and it will be interesting to see if Aston Villa can turn Nkunku’s head in the coming weeks.

Hardtarkles.com