Pretty much every day, a new player seems to be linked with a move to Chelsea. Now, it looks like the name of a familiar face has been added to the rumour mill. It is someone who left Stamford Bridge not too long ago but is being viewed as a good fit for the football Xabi Alonso wants his teams to play.
Alonso is expected to have more of a say in transfer matters than his predecessors. One would imagine that would lead to a transformation in the strategy, that has not worked well over the past four seasons.
Quite a few players have come and left during that period of time. Some have even done both. And it looks like one such name is on the radar of Chelsea.
According to reports (via CaughtOffside), Alonso has asked Chelsea to consider re-signing Christopher Nkunku this summer. The Frenchman is believed to be available for around £35 million.
Christopher Nkunku linked with a return to Chelsea
It remains to be seen if the information is accurate or not. Nobody could have predicted that Chelsea would be linked with a move for Nkunku, less than a year after his departure.
It was just last summer that Nkunku left Chelsea to join AC Milan in a £36 million deal. But it would be an understatement to say that his time at the club has not been a success.
Nkunku scored eight goals and provided three assists across all competitions in his debut season for the Italian giants. That is not a bad return if you consider that he played just 1528 minutes of football.
AC Milan would not have signed him to be a bit-part player though. And if reports are accurate then they might already be willing to part ways with the Frenchman.
Would signing Nkunku make sense for Chelsea?
Nkunku has never really been able to showcase his quality since leaving RB Leipzig. He was one of the best players in the Bundesliga but has looked very ordinary at Chelsea and AC Milan.
So, paying around £35 million to bring him back after a poor season in Italy would not make much sense. One also has to consider the fact that he is 28 years old now. We have most likely witnessed his peak already, which was becoming the top scorer in the Bundesliga.
Then again, if Alonso feels that he can be a good signing, then the idea has to be given consideration. Let’s not forget, he won an Invincible Bundesliga with the heavily criticised Granit Xhaka as a central figure.
At the same time, it is also possible that there is nothing to the Nkunku rumours and it is just another story floating around in the rumour mill.
