Man Utd have deadline day eve offer ‘rejected’ as £52m star makes makes final transfer decision

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Manchester United have received a huge update in their pursuit of a centre forward

Manchester United striker target Christopher Nkunku has expressed his desire to stay at Chelsea and fight for his first team place despite rampant speculation linking him with a move away from the capital on Deadline Day.

The 14-time France international has struggled to live up to expectations since joining the Blues for £52m in 2023 and currently holds a record of just five goals and one assist in 30 Premier League appearances.

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The 27-year-old has only started three Premier League matches this season and has often failed to usurp first choice starter Nicholas Jackson in the starting line-up despite the Senegalese international’s dip in form. Nkunku has been heavily linked with United throughout the winter period and talks of both a loan deal or a potential swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho have been touted by the media.

Why Man Utd expressed an interest in signing Christopher Nkunku

The Red Devils are currently experiencing their worst ever start to a Premier League season and are on course to finish in the bottom half of the table for the first time since the 1989/90 campaign in the early years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure in charge.

Goals in particular have been an issue for the Old Trafford club - who with just 28 goals in 24 matches are the joint fourth lowest scorers in the division despite having one of the biggest wage bills in the league.

Rasmus Hojlund with two goals and Joshua Zirkzee with three goals, have both failed to hit the mark in the Premier League this season, and the pair were both dropped from the starting line-up for the recent defeat to Crystal Palace in a damning indictment on Ruben Amorim’s confidence in the pair at this moment in time.

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Amorim’s side are desperate to bring in a player that can score goals and have been keeping close tabs on Nkunku since his days at RB Leipzig when he was once classed as a prolific goalscorer and creator. This is best summed up by Nkunku’s numbers in the 2021/22 campaign when he scored 20 and set up 13 during 34 appearances in the Bundesliga.

Christopher Nkunku makes final decision

Nkunku has endured a frustrating time in recent months at Stamford Bridge due to a combination of injuries and limited first team opportunities. So far, he has only shown flashes of his full potential in the League Cup and Europa Conference League, but remains adamant that he can turn things around in West London.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who posted on Facebook: “Christopher Nkunku does NOT want to leave on loan on Deadline Day, expected to stay at the club.”

Chelsea are also aware that they will need squad depth to achieve their goals in the second half of the season and are not looking to trim their options in the forward position at this stage despite interest from the Red Devils and Bayern Munich.

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David Ornstein of the Athletic explained: “Christopher Nkunku stays at Chelsea despite interest from Bayern Munich & Man Utd. Price too high for both clubs to buy + #MUFC loan enquiry on Sunday rebuffed. Joao Felix still likely to leave #CFC on #DeadlineDay loan.”

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