Barcelona linked to hold talks with ex-Chelsea striker originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the things Barcelona has been trying to do throughout the summer transfer window is find a replacement for the recently departed Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, with the Polish star leaving the Catalan side for America to join the Chicago Fire and the Spaniard heading to Paris Saint-Germain in France, respectively.
While the team was heavily tied to a move for Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez, after the Argentine made it clear he wanted to leave the Metropolitano in the months to come, nothing has come to fruition. This is due to a few reasons, with one key reason being the steep asking price the La Liga side wants for their star forward, as they rejected a €150 million fee from Real Madrid in the opening days of the saga.
Since then, a new name has appeared on the radar at the Spotify Camp Nou: former Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku.
Barcelona in talks with Nkunku's team
🚨#FCBarcelona Barcelona have contacted Christopher Nkunku’s representatives.
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) August 15, 2026
📌 Milan aim to downsize; Amorim doesn’t include him in plans.
💰 Biggest obstacle for Barça: €6M+ net salary. https://t.co/2OpaQH86cRpic.twitter.com/3iZkfJ66Gn
As reported by Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, the Catalan side has reached out to Nkunku's agents after Ruben Amorim excluded the Frenchman from his plans at AC Milan.
This exclusion shouldn't come as too much of a shock, given I Rossoneri's transfer of Goncalo Ramos from PSG earlier in the window, which saw a two-time Champions League winner arrive in Serie A. It comes off the back of a rather lackluster season for the Frenchman, who netted 11 goal involvements across his 35 appearances, with eight of those being strikes from his own foot; all of this came after the Italian side paid a package worth €42 million from Chelsea.
It's worth pointing out that Nkunku has never really been given much of a starting chance since moving to the Premier League in the 2023-24 season, after being a starter for RB Leipzig for many seasons, and has made only 42 starts across that three-season stretch.
For now, it will be yet another storyline to track for the reigning La Liga champions as they look to patch a sizable hole in their front line.
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