Chelsea face Fluminense in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday evening.
The Blues travel to New Jersey to face Fluminense – the third Brazilian side they face faced at the tournament so far – with either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid awaiting the winner in the final.
Enzo Maresca has plenty to think about ahead of the tie, with striker Nicolas Jackson available once again after serving a two-match suspension after being sent off against Flamengo in the group stages.
Joao Pedro made his debut as a substitute against Palmeiras in the last round and will be pushing for a start on Tuesday, while Liam Delap has also impressed so far.
Now, though, it appears that another of Chelsea’s forwards is attracting interest from one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
According to The Athletic, German champions Bayern Munich are once again interested in Blues forward Christopher Nkunku.
Nkunku scored against Benfica in the last 16 of the Club World Cup (Photo: Associated Press/Alamy)
The Frenchman joined Chelsea from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2023, having scored 70 goals and registered 56 assists in 172 games for the club.
He has struggled since arriving in London, though, with his first season in England plagued by injuries.
Last term the France international scored 15 times across all competitions but found his playing time largely limited to the Europa Conference League and the domestic cup competitions, starting just nine of the Blues’ 38 Premier League matches.
Bayern, who regained the Bundesliga title last term, were previously interested in Nkunku last summer but have reignited their interest after missing out on a number of attacking targets including Florian Wirtz and Nico Williams, the report says.
Chelsea are said to be open to the idea of allowing the 27-year-old to leave but only on a permanent basis, with the West London giants not likely to consider loan offers for the player.