Chelsea now 'very close' to signing 'special' £52m star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea target Christopher Nkunku is “very close” to joining the west London club, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Blues brought in Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the summer to strengthen their attack, but it does not look like co-owner Todd Boehly is going to stop there.

On Monday, The Athletic reported that Chelsea have beaten off competition to sign Nkunku, who has been described as “special” by former team-mate Tyler Adams.

The RB Leipzig forward has a €60m (around £52m) release clause in his contract, but the same outlet states that the Premier League outfit have committed to paying a fee over that.

Nkunku’s release clause does not become active until next summer, so Chelsea are offering more money now in order to wrap up a deal before then.

The Frenchman was excellent for Leipzig last season, scoring 35 goals in all competitions.

Sheth has told GIVEMESPORT that Chelsea are indeed closing in on the signing of Nkunku.

Speaking to GMS earlier today, the Sky Sports reporter said: “Nkunku looks like it’s getting very, very close. I’m told that nothing has been signed yet. There’s been no pre-contract. He’s still got a contract until 2026, but significantly, there is a €60m release clause which kicks in in the summer of 2023.”

Read more: Champions League 2022/23: Fixtures, Draw, Dates, Schedule, Final, Teams and Everything We Know So Far

If they get the deal done and the 24-year-old manages to successfully adapt to the Premier League, then goals.

As already mentioned, he was in devastating form when it came to finding the back of the net last season.

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch, who worked with Nkunku at Leipzig, has even suggested that he has “no weaknesses”.

“We have