Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku (Mikolaj Barbanell/SOPA Images)
Chelsea pulled off one of their biggest wins of the season on Sunday, beating newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool 3–1 at a bouncing Stamford Bridge—but the victory couldn’t stop headlines being made off the pitch too.
Arne Slot’s side, perhaps still recovering from their title celebrations, looked flat from the off and were punished within minutes. Pedro Neto, continuing his fine run of form, found Enzo Fernández in the box with a smart low cross, and the Argentine made no mistake—controlling well and slotting past Alisson with composure.
Chelsea doubled their lead just after the break in bizarre fashion. A scramble in the Liverpool box ended with Virgil van Dijk blasting the ball straight at Jarell Quansah, the ricochet flying into the back of the net for an unfortunate own goal.
Van Dijk tried to make amends with a late header to bring it back to 2–1, but Chelsea sealed the points in stoppage time when Cole Palmer stroked home a penalty to end his long wait for a goal. The 22-year-old hadn’t scored in 18 matches across all competitions, and the relief on his face said it all as he celebrated.
Nkunku to Leave Chelsea This Summer
While Palmer finally got his moment, one notable absentee from Sunday’s action was Christopher Nkunku—and it now looks increasingly likely the French forward will leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
The 27-year-old was ruled out of the Liverpool clash with a minor knock, but in truth, he’s barely featured this season under Enzo Maresca. Nkunku, who arrived from RB Leipzig in a £52 million move in the summer of 2023, has made just nine Premier League starts this term, scoring only three goals.
And now, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Nkunku has “decided to leave Chelsea this summer—there’s no longer any doubt about it.” He also confirmed that talks over a potential exit are already ongoing, despite Nkunku being under contract until 2029.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano added weight to the story on his YouTube channel: “I already told you in March, April, and now May—the clear feeling of all parties involved is for Nkunku to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window.”
“Nkunku wants to play on a regular basis, and at Chelsea that’s not happening—apart from the Conference League. In terms of skills, Nkunku isn’t exactly the kind of player needed for Enzo Maresca’s vision and ideas,” he said.
Romano made it clear that Nkunku wants to be starting in the Premier League and other high-stakes matches, not just in European rotation. With competition up top from Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, and the emergence of academy prospects, regular minutes are far from guaranteed.
Nkunku has been linked with both Bayern Munich and Manchester United—two clubs that may offer the game time and tactical fit he’s looking for.
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