Aston Villa and Newcastle United 'tussling' to sign former £52m Chelsea flop as 'enquiries' made

Aston Villa and Newcastle United have both made enquiries about former Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku.

The Frenchman is available after a disappointing spell at AC Milan, with the Serie A club reportedly valuing him at around £30 million.

But with both Premier League clubs looking for attacking reinforcements, Nkunku faces another important decision over his future.

Aston Villa and Newcastle go head-to-head for Christopher Nkunku

Nkunku is set to leave AC Milan after just one season, with Aston Villa and Newcastle 'tussling' for his signature, according to reports in Italy.

The 28-year-old joined the Serie A giants from Chelsea last summer but failed to establish himself once again, scoring seven league goals in around 1,300 minutes.

Milan are reportedly looking for a minimum of €35 million (£30 million) for the France international, although they would ideally like a higher fee.

Villa and Newcastle have already spoken to Nkunku's representatives and held initial discussions with Milan. RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and AS Roma are also interested.

Which is the better spot for the former Chelsea flop?

Newcastle arguably offers Nkunku the clearer route to regular starts.

The Magpies' forwards struggled for consistency last season, meaning there could be greater opportunities for Nkunku to establish himself as a key attacking player. His ability to operate centrally or from wider areas would also give Newcastle some much-needed flexibility.

Villa would be an interesting alternative, but breaking into the starting XI could be considerably harder with Ollie Watkins still leading the line.

The bigger question, however, is whether either club should take the gamble.

Nkunku has shown previously that he can be an outstanding goalscorer, but his Chelsea spell was hugely underwhelming, and his Milan move has failed to reignite his career.

The forward arrived at Stamford Bridge for around £52 million in 2023 after scoring 58 goals across his final two seasons at Leipzig, but a serious knee injury delayed his debut before he struggled to establish himself under Enzo Maresca, and those woes have clearly continued in Italy, making a £30m-plus investment carry significant risk.

For either club, this is less about the player he was at Leipzig and more about whether they believe he can rediscover that level. If he cannot, Nkunku could quickly become another expensive attacking gamble.