Chelsea: £52.5m star tipped to play as ‘second striker’ at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea target Christopher Nkunku is expected to predominantly line up as a ‘second striker’ if he moves to the club by journalist Simon Phillips.

Nkunku is closing in on a switch to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig following an outstanding 2021/22 campaign where he established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top talents.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently revealed that Nkunku has signed a pre-contract agreement with Chelsea, meaning he is close to finalising a switch for next summer.

Ornstein states that the capital club have committed to paying Leipzig a price in excess of the France international’s €60 million (£52.5m) release clause as they look to wrap up a deal ahead of his other potential suitors.

Prior to this development, German outlet BILD disclosed that Nkunku had undergone a medical with Chelsea over the summer ahead of a potential move following the conclusion of the current campaign.

The versatile star was linked with a move away from the Red Bull Arena in the previous transfer window only to put pen to paper on fresh terms, but he now seems set for pastures new over the coming months.

Phillips believes the versatile Nkunku can flourish in a variety of roles under Graham Potter should be complete his move to west London and that where he lines up could be ‘dependent on the formation’.

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In an interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “He can play in any of the attacking roles, centre, left, right, or out wide on the touchline.

“He can play as a second striker, and that is where I’d expect to see him play the most, but it will be dependent on the formation, with Graham Potter known to be very