Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
PL star 'definitely' moving this summer, was a Man Utd transfer target in January
Christopher Nkunku blows a blue balloon to celebrate a goal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku reportedly looks like he’ll “definitely” be leaving the club this summer.

The France international has struggled to show his best form at Stamford Bridge, and no longer looks like he’s a regular starter for Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

It could now make sense for Nkunku to leave Chelsea for a new challenge, and it seems he came close to leaving in January as well.

Nkunku was wanted by Manchester United in January, as CaughtOffside reported at the time, and one imagines some Red Devils fans would still be keen on their club trying to sign him.

Still, former Man Utd scout Mick Brown believes their interest in Nkunku has cooled.

Christopher Nkunku set to leave Chelsea, but Man Utd transfer interest has faded

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown said: “Nkunku is definitely going to leave Chelsea this summer.

“Enzo Maresca doesn’t rate him as part of his long-term plans and he hasn’t been able to nail down a solid position in the team.

“I don’t know what’s happened there, but they’ve not been impressed by him.

“It’s a shame because he’s a very talented player.

“It might be a personal thing, maybe he’s struggled with the move over to England.

“He was excellent for RB Leipzig, I saw him score three against Man City in the Champions League and thought he was fantastic in that game.

“We spoke about Man United having a look at him in January, but their interest has faded.

“I think United will be looking at other options now, but a return to the Bundesliga would suit him because he knows the league and the environment.”

United still have issues in attack, so Nkunku could be a decent option to come in as an upgrade on flop striker Rasmus Hojlund, while one imagines Marcus Rashford doesn’t have a future at the club after leaving on loan to Aston Villa in January.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury
NFL

Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss most of training camp due to a leg injury, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Johnson was placed on the non-football injury list when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the injury during offseason training, according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is headed into the second year of a four-year, $76M deal. He has dealt with a number of injuries over his career, playing no more than 15 games in a season over the first four years of his career. In 2024, he played a full season for the first time, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,032 snaps. An extended absence into the regular season would force Chicago to find another starting cornerback among their veteran depth, but Poles said that the team is not “overly concerned” about a long-term injury. “We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,” said Poles on Tuesday. 2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will likely step into a first-team role in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon last year; Smith is the only remaining defensive back on the roster who played at least 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may also see a bump in reps over the coming weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener against the Vikings.

Atlanta Braves Acquire Starting Pitcher Carlos Carrasco From New York Yankees
MLB

Atlanta Braves Acquire Starting Pitcher Carlos Carrasco From New York Yankees

The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran Starting Pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the New York Yankees on Monday. New York received cash in the transaction. The veteran starting pitcher, 38, was not at the top of his game in The Bronx. He was 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA. Carrasco pitched better in AAA with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Will he regain his form as a member of the Atlanta Braves? How Will Carrasco Fit With the Atlanta Braves? This season has not gone according to plan for the Atlanta Braves. They are in fourth place in the National League East. Atlanta entered the year with playoff aspirations and has fallen short. Carrasco will help shore up an injury-riddled pitching staff. Starting Pitchers Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach are all currently on the IL. The injuries on the mound have hurt the team’s statistics. They are 20th in team ERA, 12th in opposing batting average, and 16th in WHIP. If the Braves do not get their pitchers back, a terrible season will only get worse. Final Thoughts It is unclear what role Carrasco will have with the Atlanta Braves. Whenever he gets called up, he will look to pitch well. If he does not, his MLB career could be nearing its expiration date.

Top moments from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions
MLB

Top moments from 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions

The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.

Red Sox Insider Hints At Reunion With Phillies $79 Million Superstar
MLB

Red Sox Insider Hints At Reunion With Phillies $79 Million Superstar

The Boston Red Sox, who haven't made the playoffs since 2021, recently got a taste of how the last four years could have gone. During Boston's nine-game stretch after the All-Star break against top National League contenders, one slugger stood out above the rest. Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber pumped long home runs against Red Sox pitching on back-to-back nights, helping take two of three from his former team. Schwarber was phenomenal for the Red Sox for the two months he was there, posting a .957 OPS in 41 games and hitting some memorable playoff home runs as well. But there was no significant push from Boston's end to bring him back in free agency, so he signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies. That's been great for the Phillies and Schwarber, but the Red Sox have gotten far less production out of their designated hitter slot in that time span. And now that Schwarber is headed back to the open market, one Red Sox insider thinks Boston has an opportunity to right what once went wrong. On Sunday, Sean McAdam of MassLive encouraged the Red Sox to make more of an effort to bring Schwarber back to Boston in free agency the second time around. "We’re getting ahead of ourselves, of course, but there would be worse moves the Red Sox could make this winter than to sign free agent DH Kyle Schwarber," wrote McAdam. "To be sure, it would be an expensive investment, especially when you consider that they would have to eat most if not all of Masataka Yoshida’s remaining salary to make it work roster-wise." Yoshida is owed over $37 million over the next two seasons, but he and Schwarber are virtually the same age, and there's no question who the Red Sox would rather have DHing. Schwarber's 36 home runs this year are more than Yoshida has had in his entire big-league career, and as a matter of fact, only New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge has hit more home runs than the Phillies' slugger in the last four seasons. Manager Alex Cora also dropped a hint last week about the potential for a Schwarber reunion. If there's any way for Boston to make it happen financially, they should.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!