Former Chelsea star facing uncertain future just five months after £36million exit

Former Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku could already be on the move from AC Milan – just five months after joining.

Nkunku penned a five-year contract at the San Siro after departing Stamford Bridge last summer in a £36million deal.

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But the Frenchman has only scored twice in 12 Serie A appearances since his switch, with both of those goals coming on December 28.

Only six of his games for the club have been in the starting line-up too, with the other six seeing him come off the bench.

It appears he has been unable to prove himself worthy of a regular starting spot, and now his future is already up in the air.

Uptown Nkunk

talkSPORT understands that Turkish giants Fenerbahce are interested in signing Nkunku in the January transfer window.

However, the 28-year-old is believed to want to stay at AC Milan, despite his struggles since joining the club.

That could mean that he remains in Italy throughout the winter window and for the rest of the season.

But Milan are looking to do some business that may end up seeing Nkunku change his stance on a potential move away.

A deal has been agreed in principle for Niclas Fullkrug to sign for the Italian giants on loan from West Ham.

Fullkrug has had a nightmare short spell in the Premier League and is on the brink of an exit to Serie A.

And with the German, Rafael Leao, Santiago Gimenez and Christian Pulisic all competing for Nkunku’s spot, the France international’s already limited gametime could be further reduced.

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Why did Nkunku leave Chelsea?

Nkunku’s time at Chelsea followed a similar path to his short spell at AC Milan so far.

He joined the Blues in 2023 from RB Leipzig in a big-money deal worth £52m, but only went on to make 11 league starts.

The forward netted three Premier League goals in 27 appearances in total, scoring 18 for the club in all competitions.

His biggest success came in the Conference League, as he scored five and assisted three goals in nine games on Chelsea’s way to European glory in May 2025.

Injuries did manage to plague some of Nkunku’s career in London, meaning he was unable to get consistent minutes.

And as Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens arrived in the summer, his place in the squad was lost and he departed to Milan in the same window.

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‘A real shame’

European football broadcaster Andy Brassell has discussed where Nkunku could go next amid his poor start in Italy.

And he believes a loan move could be best for him, with Bundesliga clubs tipped to make a potential winter approach.

“It’s a real shame. I think you can take it all back to when he arrived at Chelsea with an injury, really,” Brassell told talkSPORT.com.

“They can’t afford to lose everything they spent on Nkunku, even though obviously Chelsea took a significant loss on him to move him on, which says a lot about what they thought about his future.

“But really, I don’t think it’s just restricted to Serie A in terms of who could loan him.

“I do wonder if a Bundesliga club would benefit from loaning him. We know he’s done a great job in the Bundesliga before.”