Chelsea are in negotiations with RB Leipzig over a potential swap deal that would see Xavi Simons move to Stamford Bridge and Christopher Nkunku return to the Bundesliga club. The Netherlands forward has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea despite interest from Bayern Munich, sources have confirmed.
Nkunku, who joined Chelsea for £52m in 2023 on a six-year deal, has struggled to settle in west London. Leipzig are keen to re-sign the France striker as a replacement for Benjamin Sesko, who recently completed a £73.7m move to Manchester United. Chelsea believe Nkunku to be valued at around £40m, and are pushing to include him in the deal for Simons, who cost Leipzig €50m in January.
Negotiations remain ongoing, with Chelsea likely to pay a substantial fee on top of the swap for the 22-year-old attacker. Leipzig have also expressed interest in Liverpool's Harvey Elliott, who is attracting attention from several Premier League clubs. Meanwhile, Chelsea are in discussions with Manchester United over a move for Alejandro Garnacho.
To help balance their books, Chelsea are hoping to sell Nicolas Jackson, who has fallen down the pecking order following the arrivals of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. Newcastle United are among the clubs interested in the Senegal forward, who has been valued at around £65m. Both Nkunku and Jackson were left out of Friday's friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.
