RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has ruled out the prospect of the Bundesliga club parting ways with hotshot Christopher Nkunku this summer.
The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster has developed into one of the hottest properties on the market amid a stellar scoring and playmaking run continentally and domestically.
Nkunku has registered a staggering 34 goals and 20 assists in 50 appearances for Leipzig across all competitions this season, including 20 strikes and 15 assists in the Bundesliga.
Only Robert Lewandowski, Patrik Schick and Erling Braut Haaland have scored more in the top flight, while his assists tally is second only to Thomas Muller.
Nkunku's 2021-22 haul also includes seven goals from six games in the Champions League, registering a hat-trick at the Etihad against Manchester City and also netting against former club PSG.
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Numerous clubs across Europe have understandably been linked with Nkunku in recent months, namely Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.
The 24-year-old only has two years left to run on his deal with Leipzig, but Mintzlaff has insisted that he will be going nowhere in the upcoming window.
"We have clearly discussed it internally. We won't let Nkunku leave this summer, we told him and his agent," Mintzlaff told the press when questioned on Nkunku's future.
Since arriving from PSG in the summer of 2019, the France international has made 134 appearances for Leipzig in all competitions, scoring 46 goals and assisting 47 more.
Nkunku bagged a brace in Sunday's 4-0 Bundesliga win over Augsburg, as Leipzig sit in the fourth and final Champions League spot in the table with one game left to play.
Man United and Arsenal will therefore be forced to look elsewhere in their search for attacking targets, with the Red Devils likely to undergo a major shake-up under Erik ten Hag.
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Edinson Cavani will leave as a free agent when his contract expires next month, and the out-of-favour duo of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are also facing uncertain futures.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo is seemingly set to stay on for another season and has reportedly been discussing his future at Old Trafford with Sir Alex Ferguson throughout the year.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are due to lose Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah when their deals run out in June, although the latter has hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks.
The Englishman made it four goals from four Premier League starts in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday but was quick to bat away questions about his future following the game.
Arsenal can now secure Champions League football for next season with victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, while Man United cannot finish higher than sixth after being embarrassed in a 4-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ben Knapton
