Christopher Nkunku reacts to Romeo Lavia’s message amid Chelsea exit talk
Chelsea star Christopher Nkunku has reacted to a message shared by teammate Romeo Lavia amid speculation surrounding the France international’s future.
The Stamford Bridge side enjoyed a 2-0 win over LAFC in their Club World Cup opener on Monday, 16 June.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring for Enzo Maresca’s men in the first half, before Enzo Fernandez made sure of the three points with 11 minutes remaining.
One of the most pleasing aspects of Chelsea’s victory from Maresca’s point of view was that summer signing Liam Delap notched an assist for Fernandez on debut.
Nkunku reacts to Lavia’s Club World Cup message amid Chelsea exit talk
After successfully seeing off LAFC on Monday, Chelsea face a clash with Brazilian Serie A leaders Flamengo on Friday, 20 June.
Taking to Instagram [17 June] following the Blues’ victory, Lavia posted: “1/3”, which attracted a like from Nkunku.
Former Leipzig star Nkunku has attracted interest from Newcastle this summer and made just nine Premier League starts last season.
Football Insider verdict
Club World Cup snub will further fuel Nkunku exit talk
Alongside Newcastle’s interest, Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with Nkunku, while next season’s likely title rivals are both keen to bolster their forward lines.
| Christopher Nkunku stats | 2024/25 Premier League |
| Appearances | 27 |
| Starts | 9 |
| Goals | 3 |
Arsenal need to close the gap between themselves and the reigning Premier League champions ahead of next season, while the Merseyside giants are vying to become even stronger.
Meanwhile, despite enduring a lack of game time in the top flight last term, Nkunku regularly featured in Chelsea’s Conference League-winning campaign, notching seven goals and three assists in 11 appearances.
The 27-year-old will have hoped to enjoy a similar impact on this summer’s Club World Cup, but instead made just a six-minute cameo against LAFC.
Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke both started out wide at Nkunku’s expense, and Delap’s recent arrival has damaged the France international’s chances of being selected as a striker over both the former Ipswich Town man and Nicolas Jackson.
Should Nkunku continue to endure a lack of minutes in the Club World Cup, it will surely increase the likelihood of his potential Stamford Bridge exit.