Bayern Munich’s move for Christopher Nkunku has stalled, delaying Chelsea’s attempts to sign RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons and Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho.
Chelsea hope to offload Nkunku, who is not in the club’s plans for the season, and want the forward to leave on a permanent basis. Bayern had a loan offer with an option to buy rejected at the weekend and it remains to be seen if they are prepared to pay enough to sign the Frenchman.
Inter Milan are also interested in Nkunku, who has struggled for form and fitness since leaving Leipzig for £52m two years ago.
Coming to an agreement with Bayern over the 27-year-old would allow Chelsea to accelerate moves for Simons and Garnacho. Chelsea are not willing to meet United’s asking price of £50 million (€57.9 million) for Garnacho, who has reportedly turned down a switch to Bayern. The Stamford Bridge club have been waiting to sell fringe players before making an official bid for Simons, who is keen on the move.
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Chelsea are also open to offers for Nicolas Jackson, who is emerging as a target for Aston Villa. However, the asking price of £80 million for Jackson is putting off potential suitors.
Other players expected to leave Chelsea are Tyrique George, Axel Disasi, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Renato Veiga, the latter of whom is a target for Villarreal. Fulham are interested in Raheem Sterling.
Meanwhile, Leeds are poised to make their ninth signing of the summer after agreeing an £18m deal with Milan for the Switzerland striker Noah Okafor.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to undergo a medical in Yorkshire on Wednesday and, providing all goes well, will offer fellow new signings Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as well as Joël Piroe competition in Daniel Farke’s frontline.
Okafor spent the second part of last season on loan at Napoli, making four appearances as Antonio Conte’s team won Serie A. At Milan, the player who began his career with Basel before moving on to Red Bull Salzburg scored a modest seven goals in 39 league appearances. However those statistics fail to reflect the versatility of a forward who can operate in assorted positions, including anywhere across the frontline. He has frequently been deployed as a winger for Switzerland, scoring twice in 24 senior international appearances.
Elsewhere, Wolves have signed the Cameroon defender Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona in a deal worth about £10m. The Belgian-born right wing‑back has spent the past two seasons in Serie A after starting his career at Charleroi.
Tchatchoua is, in effect, a replacement for the former club captain Nélson Semedo, who rejected a new contract at Wolves in favour of a move to Fenerbahce.
Wolves are aware that Jørgen Strand Larsen is high on Newcastle’s shortlist, but they consider the striker not for sale. The Norway frontman is among Newcastle’s targets amid the protracted Alexander Isak saga after moves for Benjamin Sesko, among others, failed to materialise.
Strand Larsen joined Wolves on a permanent basis in July, after the club triggered a £23m deal to buy a player who scored 14 league goals last season while on loan from La Liga side Celta Vigo.
Newcastle have so far failed in their attempts to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford, with the London club holding out for what they deem a fair price for the forward, while Eddie Howe’s Magpies have been linked with a move for Chelsea’s out-of-favour Jackson.
It is thought that only a bid significantly above market value would give Wolves a decision to make on Strand Larsen, who is under contract until 2029.
Wolves are open to offloading Hwang Hee-chan this summer, with Crystal Palace pursuing a loan deal for the South Korea forward. Matt Hobbs, the former Wolves sporting director who was influential in bringing Hwang to Molineux from RB Leipzig in 2022, is thought to be close to filling a similar role at Palace, after Dougie Freedman departed for the Saudi side Al-Diriyah.
