Arsenal are reportedly open to negotiating a deal with Chelsea for one of their unsettled attackers.
The Gunners are currently preparing to square off against Paris Saint-Germain in their two-legged Champions League semi-final, with the first game taking place at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Mikel Arteta's side have managed to reach that stage of the competition despite the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus having been absent in the long term.
Instead, Mikel Merino has made the successful transition from central midfielder to temporary centre-forward, yet that is only expected to be a short-term measure.
According to RMC Sport, Arteta and club officials are contemplating whether to make contact with Chelsea regarding a deal for one of their versatile frontmen.
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Nkunku to move across London?
The report alleges that Christopher Nkunku is very much on the radar of Arsenal, with the France international initially being shortlisted in January.
On that occasion, the playmaker remained at Stamford Bridge, but he has failed to make any impact since then when deployed as a number nine.
Furthermore, there have also been occasions when Nkunku has remained as an unused substitute or left out of Enzo Maresca's squad entirely, emphasising he has dropped down the pecking order.
Despite his flurry of goals in the Conference League during the first half of the campaign, the 27-year-old has contributed just three strikes and two assists from his nine starts and 18 substitute outings in the Premier League during 2024-25.
As such, it is plausible to expect Chelsea to entertain proposals for Nkunku during the summer transfer window when alternatives to him are already at the club.
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Would Chelsea consider selling to rival?
Despite their rivalry, it has become apparent under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital that Chelsea are prepared to do business with their Arsenal counterparts.
Havertz, Jorginho and Raheem Sterling have all made the switches - permanent or temporary - to the Emirates Stadium since the summer of 2023.
With regards to this potential deal, Chelsea may have to be realistic over a transfer fee, it unlikely that Arsenal would allow them to recoup the £52m that they paid for Nkunku when he was in form at RB Leipzig.
That said, Nkunku is yet to reach the halfway stage of a six-year deal, and Arsenal will have to pay in the region of £40m for Chelsea to make any kind of substantial profit from an amortisation standpoint.
Darren Plant
