BALLOON DOOR
Why Chelsea selling Christopher Nkunku makes sense as £56m star joins Morata and Torres in long line of striker flops
Stats show that despite 13 goals this season so far, Nkunku is destined to be Blues' second string striker
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU came to Chelsea with a box of blue balloons ready to go but finds himself deflated and looking for a way out.
Bayern Munich are offering a return to Germany, where he scored 70 goals in 172 games for RB Leipzig, and an end to his Chelsea frustration.
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Vincent Kompany's side are in talks over a deal this month, though Chelsea are holding out for more than £60million for the forward.
Nkunku, 27, has had a torrid time of it since making the £56m move from Leipzig in June 2023.
The Frenchman suffered a horror knee injury during his first pre-season thanks to a dodgy pitch a Soldier Field in Chicago and required surgery.
That limited Nkunku to just two Premier League starts last season, a campaign in which he also suffered a hamstring injury.
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A stuttering start to his Chelsea career left the France international behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order.
Stamford Bridge has been a difficult place for many to settle in recent years.
Huge changes in the dressing room and behind the scenes have made things challenging for new faces - of which there have been plenty.
Nkunku arrived in a summer that saw the Blues spend north of £400m on a host of new players, including his rival for the No9 role, Jackson.
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And despite early signs during this season's American tour that Nkunku could be a good fit for Enzo Maresca's system - he remains behind Jackson and has grown frustrated.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man now looks to be destined for the list of strikers who have rocked up and the Bridge and failed to make the grade.
The one player Chelsea must sign this season
Romelu Lukaku, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata and Fernando Torres will presumably welcome a new member to their club.
Nkunku actually has 13 goals for the Blues this term, though only two have come in the Premier League.
Scoring regularly in the Europa Conference League simply does not translate to being a regular threat domestically.
The player's frustration is that the chances to show he can be dangerous in the Premier League have not been coming.
There have been just three league starts this season and he has played 90 minutes just once - against Southampton when he registered a goal and an assist.
Until the January window opened and Nkunku's future became seriously under question, he had been involved in all bar one of Chelsea' Premier League games - but simply has not shown he can compete.
Jackson, who has a better goals and assists per 90 minutes record across all competitions, is a better fit as Maresca's No9, where Nkunku really wants to be playing.
When including cup and European games, Nkunku looks the more efficient striker - with a better minutes per goal and shot conversion ratio.
But move to purely Premier League games and those stats flip - evidence of his struggle to make a mark where it matters.
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Even out wide he cannot budge Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho or Pedro Neto out of the way.
Having even been trialled in a more narrow midfield role during pre-season, the openings at Chelsea are running out for Nkunku.
His long-term focus is to be in America with France for the World Cup next year.
And the way things are going that seems a long way off.
That is why an escape plan is being mapped out - one Chelsea are reluctantly happy to sanction, so long as they get their asking price and can replace the Frenchman.
The fact that a player of Nkunku's undoubted quality cannot get into the Blues side will be seen as a positive within the club, an example of the competition within Maresca's squad.
The Italian manager has had to play a delicate balancing game with a number of attacking options this term - some of whom have taken their chances and kicked on.
Neither Sancho or Neto were starters early on but have both made progress while, despite being called out by Maresca for his attitude, Madueke always looks a threat when on the right.
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The one left out, the one struggling to make his mark, is Nkunku.
With a World Cup next year he cannot afford to wait for something to click.
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