Bayern Munich believe that RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku is the man to replace Serge Gnabry as the club have been unable to agree to a new deal with the German. The forward’s current deal expires in 2023 and contract negotiations have come to a standstill.
The French forward has been in sensational form for Leipzig this season. He has taken his game to the next level by increasing productivity in the final third. Despite RB Leipzig’s elimination from the Champions League in the group stages, Christopher Nkunku’s performances were met with a lot of praise. The Frenchman scored seven goals and two assists in six appearances, a tally that includes a hat-trick against Manchester City. However, the 24-year-old has been performing at that level all season, with 15 goals and 11 assists in just 27 Bundesliga appearances. His tally, across all competitions, has reached 26 goals and 15 assists.
Nkunku is an attacking midfielder. He sets teammates up for goals while also being a threat in the final third. His exceptional dribbling skills enable him to beat his opposite man and then look to pass or shoot. He is a quick, skillful playmaker who can play in various positions in the final third. Nkunku primarily operates as the right attacking midfielder. Most of his starts have come as a right-winger.
Nkunku is naturally a wide player, but can also operate down the middle as a number 10 behind the striker, and such flexibility, along with his pace, power, guile, and dribbling skills, make him a great player. He has generated an xG of 0.54 on average. He has 7.75 offensive duels per 90 minutes and has won 42.86% of the duels. Nkunku has attempted 2.214 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Champions League and has been able to win 64.29% of these dribbles.
Nkunku has attempted 18 shots on goal in his six appearances in the Champions League, scoring seven goals. The attacker has attempted 2.847 shots on goal per 90 minutes. He has had 11 shots on target, and all his shots on target have been from inside the penalty area. This tells us how effective he is when he gets the ball in these areas and has a high conversion rate.
Neres is also a great playmaker and creates a lot of chances for his strikers. He can play in great crosses from the wider areas of the pitch and has attempted 2.06 crosses per 90 minutes. His pass map indicates that most of his crosses into the box from the right flank have generated a very high xT, and these crosses were played into great positions in front of the goal.
Bayern are interested in Nkunku. However, a move for the French forward will depend on the outcome of contract talks with Gnabry. Nkunku is admired by Julian Nagelsmann, as they worked together at Leipzig.
