Chelsea complete secret medical of €60 million-rated star ahead of transfer next summer - Reports

As per BILD (via Fussball.News), Chelsea have already completed part of RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku's medical before potentially signing him next summer.

The Blues are highly interested in signing the Frenchman and were linked with him in the summer transfer window as well.

He also reportedly completed a medical in August for the club. He gave the medical in Frankfurt, in the presence of an orthopedist from Chelsea. The process was recently paid for.

This was done to ensure Nkunku's convenience and to avoid making headlines in England.

The Frenchman then signed a new contract with RB Leipzig until 2026 that includes a release clause of €60 million. However, that clause will only be activated next summer.

Hence, the Blues are likely to bring Nkunku to Stamford Bridge next summer, with Leipzig unlikely to sell him in the winter transfer window.

The Frenchman has scored 53 goals and provided 48 assists in 147 matches for the German club so far.

The 24-year-old currently plays with Timo Werner, who returned to Leipzig this summer after an underwhelming two-year spell with the Blues. The German joined the west London side in 2020 and contributed 23 goals and 21 assists in 89 matches.

Nkunku will hope to have a better impact at Stamford Bridge than his current teammate.

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Paul Merson predicts Chelsea's clash against Crystal Palace

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has made his prediction for the Blues' upcoming Premier League clash against Crystal Palace. He believes that Graham Potter will be able to secure his first win as Chelsea manager at Selhurst Park on October 1.

In his column for Sportskeeda, Merson wrote:

"Potter is a good manager and a good coach, but he took some time to build his team at Brighton. It might take him a while at Chelsea as well, but he'll need to finish in the top four this season.

"They also have a massive double-header in the Champions League and might be out of the competition if they fail to beat AC Milan over two legs."

He added:

"Marc Cucurella will definitely play this game - Graham Potter knows him well, and there's not a lot of work to be done there. He didn't bring in Fofana and Koulibaly, however, and that's a problem - how much does he rate them? This is a dodgy game, but I'm going to go with a Chelsea victory."

Prediction: 0-2

The Blues are currently seventh in the Premier League table with three wins out of six matches.