Chelsea are in talks with RB Leipzig over a potential swap deal for Xavi Simons that could lead to Christopher Nkunku returning to the German club.
It is understood Leipzig would like to re-sign the France striker, who moved to Stamford Bridge on a six-year deal in 2023 for £52m but has failed to settle in west London, as a replacement for Benjamin Sesko after his £73.7m move to Manchester United. Chelsea have been in negotiations with the Bundesliga club over a fee for Xavi Simons, with the Netherlands forward having already agreed personal terms despite interest from Bayern Munich.
Simons joined Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain in January for €50m after two successful loan spells and had been expected to cost about €70m (£61m). But Chelsea are now pushing to include Nkunku, who they believe to be valued at £40m, as part of the deal.
Negotiations are ongoing, with Chelsea likely to have to pay a sizeable fee on top for the 22-year-old, who can play in a number of attacking positions. Leipzig are also interested in signing Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who has interest from several Premier League clubs.
Chelsea remain in talks with United over a move for Alejandro Garnacho and are hoping to sell Nicolas Jackson to help balance the books. Newcastle have shown interest in the Senegal forward after missing out on Sesko and other targets, although they are believed to be waiting to see whether Liverpool make a new bid for Alexander Isak after turning down a £110m offer.
Jackson has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge after the arrivals of Liam Delap and João Pedro, with Eddie Howe’s side believed to be frontrunners to sign the 24-year-old. He is understood to have trained alone on Friday after informing Chelsea that he would like to move, with Milan also linked with the 24-year-old.
Chelsea had valued Jackson at £80m but are likely to accept a reduced fee of around £65m as they attempt to reshape their attacking options. Nkunku and Jackson were both left out of Friday’s friendly against Bayer Leverkusen.
