Chelsea sealed their swoop for France forward Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in a deal worth a reported £63 million ($80 million).
Nkunku had already agreed a pre-contract with the Premier League club in December and has now rubber-stamped his move to Stamford Bridge.
The 25-year-old has put pen to paper on a lucrative six-year contract with the Blues, who are embarking on a close-season overhaul as they look to bounce back from a dismal campaign.
“Chelsea is delighted to announce Christopher Nkunku will join the club from RB Leipzig ahead of the 2023/24 season,” a statement on the Blues’ website said.
Nkunku is one of the rising stars of European football and scored 23 goals in 36 games for Leipzig last season.
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He is the first major signing since Mauricio Pochettino was confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager at the end of May.
“I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea. A big effort was made to bring me to the club,” Nkunku said.
“I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and team-mates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch.”
Nkunku, a graduate of the famed French national football academy at Clairefontaine, spent four years at Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Leipzig in 2019.
He made his name with the German club and was voted Bundesliga player of the season in 2021-22 after scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists in the league.
The versatile forward bagged a further 23 goals this season to help Leipzig secure a third-place finish in the Bundesliga and scored in their German Cup final win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
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