Chelsea see RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku as the “cheaper” alternative to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez, according to The Athletic‘s Simon Johnson.
The website’s Blues correspondent believes Martinez is a name “under consideration” but the cost of signing the Argentinian international could prove to be prohibitive, despite him being an obvious candidate to get the best out of Romelu Lukaku:
Piece on new #CFC owners and some of their plans/ideas:
• End to Abramovich’s hiring/firing policy
• Increase revenue streams
• Post season get-together another sign of personal touch
• busy summer transfer window – ins and outshttps://t.co/MRdslmN7OS— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) May 30, 2022
Nkunku, on the other hand, could be secured for a lower price, although he will still be an expensive purchase, with some reports suggesting that Leipzig may hold out for around €75m (£64m).
It is not thought that the Blues will be pressing ahead with deals to strengthen the forward line straight away, with the main priority being to reinforce the defence.
Jules Kounde is expected to be the first name in through the door once Todd Boehly’s takeover has been made official, while Johnson even suggests that the Blues could revive their interest in Achraf Hakimi.
