Christopher Nkunku set to return to RB Leipzig from AC Milan

RB Leipzig have reached a preliminary verbal agreement with AC Milan to re-sign France forward Christopher Nkunku, according to Sky Sport Germany.

The 28-year-old is expected to move to the German club on loan, with RB Leipzig set to have an option to buy him at the end of the season. The deal is reportedly likely to be completed within the next two or three days.

RB Leipzig appear to have won the race for Nkunku, moving ahead of interest from AS Roma and Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window.

Nkunku previously played for RB Leipzig between 2019 and 2023, establishing himself as one of the club’s leading attacking players during that period. His proposed return would come only a year after he moved to AC Milan from Chelsea.

Sky Sport Italia reported that AC Milan have placed a €35m valuation on Nkunku as the figure required to approve his departure. The Italian club are understood to have made the forward available for transfer after including him among a group of players who have been frozen out of the first-team picture.

That group also includes Youssouf Fofana, Fikayo Tomori and David Odogu.

Nkunku joined AC Milan last summer from Chelsea in a deal worth €37m, with a further €5m available in add-ons. The agreement also included a percentage of any future resale fee.

His departure from AC Milan is expected to take the form of a loan for the coming season, with RB Leipzig given the right to make the transfer permanent when the campaign ends, according to the reports.

Nkunku will turn 29 in November and remains under contract with AC Milan until 2030. Despite the length of that agreement, the forward’s position at the club has led to speculation over his future.

He has also been linked with a possible move to FC Barcelona. The Catalan club have so far been unable to complete a deal to strengthen their striker position, and Nkunku’s availability has made him a potential option.

A return to RB Leipzig would reunite Nkunku with the club where he spent four seasons before leaving in 2023. His next move, however, remains subject to the final completion of the agreement between the two clubs.