Less than 24 hours after his first two Serie A goals for AC Milan, there is talk of Christopher Nkunku potentially leaving the club.
According to Fotomac in Turkey, Fenerbahçe are looking to strengthen their attacking options and they have turned their attentions to Italy. The target is Nkunku, who Milan have added to their list of players who can leave.
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It has been reported that both Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe are interested in the French star and have begun negotiations. However, Fenerbahçe, thanks to the influence of their manager Domenico Tedesco, has overtaken their arch-rival Galatasaray in the pursuit.
Tedesco in talks
Tedesco contacted his former player at RB Leipzig, and a meeting took place. The Italian coach told Nkunku ‘let’s work together again’ and the forward responded positively. The matter now rests on negotiations between Fenerbahçe and Milan.
If Fenerbahçe can convince Milan, the transfer will be completed. Nkunku had a career-best season while working with Tedesco. The Frenchman played 38 matches under the Italian coach, scoring 27 goals and providing 14 assists. Nkunku also won the Bundesliga top scorer title.
Fenerbahçe want to sign Nkunku on an initial loan deal. To avoid a big outlay during the transfer window, they will offer a six-month loan with a mandatory €35m purchase at the end of the season. If the Rossoneri agree, the transfer will go through.
Leipzig bought Nkunku from PSG for €19.5m in 2019, then sold him to Chelsea four seasons later for €60m. Chelsea then sold him to Milan at the start of this season for €37m, and he has struggled so far, though he did get off the mark yesterday.
Take the deal. Not anything against the player, but he’s just not fit for Allegri’s tactics.
Ok nice but then we will need another striker.
With Giménez down for the count, we can’t rely on Füllkrug as our only striker.
Well… We can’t rely on Nkunku either. And I’d rather take our chances with the Kostic-kid if we end up getting him.
This.
Gimenez is out at least thru February.
Fulkrug is a major injury concern.
Leao reportedly has a chronic groin problem.
But yeah, lets ship out Nkunku because he didn’t settle in serie A from the moment he stepped out of the plane and trust an 18 year old that none of us has ever seen.
If Leao actually has a chronic problem he will also need to go soon and probably to Arabs. It is hereditary and curable. It is an injury that always heals on surface and comes back through the whole career after it becomes a problem once. Kaka had it. Yamal seems to have it as well. If this is officially chronic we can forget about EPL money for him.
I don’t know… I agree he is the n-th attacking player who does not fit Allegri’s plan, in reality no one in our squad really does fit Allegri’s style. Pulisic is performing great, but that’s due to his never-ending energy and good reading of the game – not because he is playing at his best position.
However, I strongly oppose selling/loaning people after just half a season in a new league (coming with no pre-season as well).
I prefer losing a few additional million and selling the player in the summer for lower price if there is no progress.
You’re 100% right
Even if NKUNKU is not as good as he needs to be
If they end up doing this, then I’d say get Zirkzee.
Hijack Roma’s deal and get him. He should hit the ground running…. hopefully
The best part of Nkunku’s two goals scored yesterday is that this will increase his market value, thus making it more likely that Milan will recover most of the incredibly expensive deal our incompetent managers agreed upon, when they purchased a has-been who hasn’t been good for years since his golden Bundesliga time, for whooping 37 Million Euro. I was against this deal ever since it was first considered. Yes, he did show signs of life lately, but I frankly doubt that he will be consistently helpful, so, if we got him for 37 M and Fenerbahçe would consider an obligation to buy for 35 M, yes, do it!
Sure, our roster is too short and I do not think that Füllkrug will be the solution either (he’s another injury-prone has-been). But the problem is, turning down this deal for Nkunku will likely backfire on us, once Nkunku continues to be irrelevant for most of the rest of the season, then gets injured again (he is notoriously injury-prone), resulting in Milan never recovering the money spent for him, and getting stuck with him (Origi 2.0). So let’s hit it while it’s hot; he did well yesterday; Fenerbahçe wants him; do it before they change their minds.
Maybe, with a deal that would guarantee that after 6 months Fenerbahçe would have to pay us 35 Million, the managers will agree to purchase another striker for the short run, instead of stopping with the Füllkrug move, although I doubt it. I also hope that for 2026/27, Camarda will be back and more mature.
Sure, Nkunku did well yesterday and in my ratings I even rated him MOTM. Still, I frankly don’t think that this will last. Most likely, next game he will again perform poorly. Because, see, yesterday looked like the exception more than the rule, given his CONSISTENT poor play, which made it feel like Milan was playing a man down after an expulsion, each time Nkunku had significant minutes. Will this change after just ONE good game? Probably not. We’ve seen mediocre players having good games before (like for example, Adli) and then resume being mediocre. Even Emerson Royal had the occasional good game. It’s not enough. In that pivotal role of a player on whom we need to rely to score goals, we need consistency.
Already, our two most talented players in that role have been fairly injury-prone this season (Rafa and Puli) and the other one we had for that, is recovering from surgery (his chronic ankle issue maybe explains why he was performing poorly; I have some hope that Santi will prove to be helpful once he fully recovers). So, to keep relying on Nkunku and Füllkrug, two has-been injury-prone players, may backfire on us, immensely.
My hope is that we get rid of Nkunku and use the money (or the slightly more remote arrival of that money if it’s a loan with obligation to buy) to find another solution for the striker short run, instead of just Füllkrug.
My bigger problem is Leao since now people say his injury is chronic. Groin issues are not curable if chronic. So, we might have a problem with no one available at the end of the season. If Nkunku goes someone needs to come in.
Amen! 💯correct.
As RossoBG stated, neither Pulisic or Nkunku fit Allegri’s system. I firmly believe this is the reason Pulisic has not signed an extension. Pulisic likes to receive the ball in some space, more on the wings to attack. As Allegri never seems to invert the outside backs, Pulisic is often pushed into tighter spaces. Nkunku, I believe is a bit of a better fit. A more physical player.
no other big team is really going to give pulisic the winger spot, he is most dangerous at cam/st and pulisic wants to be a starter
On Pulisic potentially leaving, there are a couple of other issues to consider.
One, he is reportedly (of his own saying) very happy in Milano. He loves the city and appreciates the fact that he is immerse in Italian culture, the country of his grandmother (he even has the Italian flag tattooed on his arm, to pay homage to his grandmother). By the way, Puli has as much Italian blood as Croatian (25% of each; Croatian grandfather, Italian grandmother). He is diligently learning Italian. He knows that in the EPL he was undervalued and struggled there, and instead, he found a lot of success at AC Milan. Pulisic doesn’t seem to be a guy who values money above everything, and I do feel that his personal happiness is important to him. It seems like his parents are happy that he is in Milano, and his girlfriend as well. He is an idol of the Milanisti, loved by the fans for his huge contributions to the squad (at least, loved by all who are not silly enough to hate him just because he was born in the United States, and I believe that the loving ones are way more numerous than the haters). This will all be a strong incentive for Puli to remain. I mean, usually it’s the other way around; players who have only known Serie A’s experience, want to one day go to the EPL. Puli instead has already played in the EPL, then he came to Serie A where he did better than in the EPL. Would he want to go back to the place where his memories weren’t very happy? I find it doubtful. And then, if it’s not the EPL, where? Spain or Germany? I don’t think so. Likely Pulisic loves a lot more the Italian culture and lifestyle, given his family ties. Any other league other than the EPL, La Liga or the Bundesliga, would be a regression, and he is too young and too much in his prime to want to regress. No, he’s doing well in Serie A and will likely want to continue to do so.
Two, the owner would be crazy to let him go. The owner is an American businessman, and Pulisic is the most celebrated American soccer player, back home. The owner knows that keeping Pulisic, the nicknamed “Captain America” and the actual captain of the United States Men’s National Team, is money in the coffers. AC Milan’s American fan base increased a lot in numbers, once Pulisic joined, and he is a magnet for merchandise and TV exposure and contracts. I happened to be visiting New York City when AC Milan played a friendly at Yankee Stadium against Manchester City the summer before last, so I attended the game, and it was crazy to see how many American kids had AC Milan jerseys personalized to Pulisic’s name #10. So, I believe that if push comes to shove, and the local managers balk at some demand from Puli to renew his contract, there will be an order from the top, from Gerry Cardinale himself, saying: “Underlings, just shut up and give the man what he wants; I don’t want to lose him.”
The bottom line is, even if Puli takes a little while to get it done, I’m quite confident that ultimately he will renew his contract with AC Milan.
Luigi, in the end it comes down to football. All that you say is true. But remember he experienced being misused by Tuchel and being in his prime with the number of goals he’ll not see a need to stay if the football doesn’t suit him. Of course he’s not going to say that now but take a wait and see attitude. Though there is time on his contract, when a player puts in a transfer request it usually happens. ACM can not afford to leave 40ml worth of player on the bench.
On your last phrase about ACM not being able to afford to leave 40ml worth of player on the bench, sure, unless the owner absolutely wants to keep him because he is a source of other revenue streams, and Gerry Cardinale will not want to kill the Golden Eggs Goose.
Football-wise, Puli under Allegri no less, is having a wonderful season (minus a bit of injury time). Like I said in another response, I’d have a hard time thinking that a smart and experienced coach like Allegri doesn’t see that and won’t try to find a solution to keep his most productive goal contributor happy.
At Chelsea, Puli was misused by Tuchel but wasn’t their most prolific goal contributor, much less in the entire EPL. At AC Milan and in the entire Italian Serie A, he is. He has never had as much success in his entire career. With Serie A he achieved his highest number of goal contributions in a given year. So, if the argument is “it comes down to football”, that should count too, no?
Puli is not the kind of mercenary who will think “oh, this club is offering me a couple of million more in salary, so I will go.” It will come back to football like you said (and football-wise he is doing great at AC Milan), and lifestyle/personal happy (and he is very happy in Milano).
Add this the owner willing to keep him and therefore being likely to order his manager to meets his demands, and I find it unlikely that Puli will ask to leave. At least, not yet. As he ages, his priorities may change, but for now AC Milan is part of the footballing reason for Puli being in his prime.
Maaan, Luigi… You are writing a lot of sense nowadays. 💯
The only reason why Pulisic could leave is that Milan wouldn’t finish in TOP4 and is forced to sell key players. He’s definitely not the moneygrabbing type.
I disagree. As a winger he is good at cutting in and moving the defense to create passing lanes and then continuing his run into the box. I think he’s more then willing to compete for a starting spot. The problem at ACM, once they settle on a #9, Pulisic is no longer a starter for meaningfully games.
Look, he is the most goal-producing attacker in all of his AC Milan seasons since he joined, and always in the top 3, league-wise. This season, the top 3 are Lautaro Martinez, Christian Pulisic, and Nico Paz.
I find it more likely that Allegri will find some tactical or formation adaptation to keep Puli active and a starter, than to drop his most productive goal contributor as a starter.
What, in favor of Füllkrug? That would be a joke. Not Nkunku either, and it remains to be seen if Santi Gimenez will stay and whether or not he will be any good after recovering from his long post-surgical rehab. I don’t believe that Lewandowsky will come. If and that’s a big if, Vlahovic comes, then maybe Allegri would be more inclined to start Vlahovic but then he would still try to find a spot to also start Puli, likely as a central attacking midfielder.
Actual at Chelsea when his minutes per game were looked, not games played as he often was put in for 10-15 mins at the end he was right behind Mount. Also, he had Timo ‘I can’t hit the side of a barn’ Werner playing in front of him. Angry American fans are going to dry up any revenue streams that Pulisic initially brought in. You’ve got to be real about Allegri, he has a system of playing that he believes in and will play this system even if it means benching a player.
Pulisic was not a cosistent starter at Dortmund
because he was not German, especially when the coach was Tuchel. However when he decided to leave Dortmund, the owners promised to build the team around him.
Tuchell was then hired by Cheslea and again
he took a back seat to German or English players.
Pulisic was instrumental in advancing Cheslea to the Champions League which they won in 2021.
Not getting as much consistent playing time with Cheslea caused him to become more fragile and less inform. When he didn’t perform well the fans came down on him. He doesn’t have a lot of love for English fans.
I do not believe that Pulisic would ever go back to the Bundesliga or the EPL. He never showed any interest in Spain.
His primary concern is Champions League Football.
If he cannot achieve that at Milan, he will most likley go to another Series A team that will guarantee him Champions League.
Money is not an issue, he has plenty of rich sponsers such as Volkswagen, Puma, and Hersey Choclate.
You said “Angry American fans are going to dry up any revenue streams that Pulisic initially brought in.”
What do you mean by that? What angry American fans? Are you referring to the episode in which Pulisic didn’t want to participate in the Gold Cup?
That is water under the bridge, and it was a minority of people who were angry at him (because of Pulisic, I kind of follow the USMNT and read their main forum during their games, and while a few complained of that, most kept saying “it doesn’t change the fact that he is our best player, and is essential for the upcoming World Cup.”) Also, a lot of people understood that playing a minor CONCACAF tournament and exposing himself to injury, that is, to the risk of losing their best player in a minor tournament and then not counting on him for much more important tournaments, wasn’t something that Pulisic was to be blamed for. It seems like even Pochettino has already forgiven him, after initially being angry. There were attacks on the media by Lando Donovan but a lot of people saw Donovan’s stance as extremely hypocritical because Donovan himself also declined to play for their National Team for an extended period of time, when he was active.
I don’t think that this controversy will stop American kids from asking their fathers to buy an AC Milan jersey with Pulisic #10 on it. The man is still the most idolized American footballer, and all the HUGE population of American kids who play “soccer” look up to him. While soccer is not the most popular sport in America spectator-wise, being behind American Football and Basketball and just a tiny bit below Baseball (but already #4, above Ice Hockey), soccer remains the most PLAYED sport in America with the largest number of amateur practitioners, mostly kids, even above basketball. So, that’s a HUGE source of demand for merchandise. Given how Pulisic is still young and in his prime, I’m quite sure that Gerry Cardinale knows that there is a lot of money to be made for the next several years to come, by having in his AC Milan, the United States’ most celebrated player.
It’s not just merchandise. Lately and for the first time in history, American over-the-air big TV broadcasters showed live an AC Milan game, instead of relegating it to cable only or subscription stream only. Why? Because they know that Pulisic attracts an audience.
Gerry Cardinale wants to find new investors, including, to help him pay back the vendor’s loan that he still owes to Elliott. The most likely group that will accept to invest, according to financial news, is the Steinbrenners, a family of billionaires that owns the most popular American baseball franchise, the New York Yankees. Why do you suppose a family that has always only paid attention to baseball, is now paying attention to an Italian football club? The answer is, Christian Pulisic. It’s because America’s most popular and most idolized soccer player belongs to AC Milan, so they figure is an investment with a favorable likelihood of return.
Orlando is making a good point. I forgot about his stay with Dortmund. Yep, no EPL and no Bundesliga for him, and I doubt as well that he’d go to Spain.
Now, the Champions League angle is indeed a good point, and it is one that is risky for AC Milan not only because of Pulisic, but because of several other players. If AC Milan stays out of the Champions League for another year, our main players will likely be frustrated and willing to go to greener pastures.
I hadn’t thought of that. Indeed it could be that Pulisic is not yet willing to sign an extension, because he wants to see if Milan will be among to the top 4 (or top 5 if Italy qualifies for a 5th spot) by season end. He has time, because his contract is not expiring until 2027, so he can afford to freeze talks while he waits for the conclusion of the 2025-26 season to see if Milan makes it back to the UCL.
If we don’t, then, yes, there would be a risk that Puli would want to go to one of the other Italian teams that make it. Given that he declared that he loves the city of Milano, the biggest risk would be Inter…
Hopefully Puli who is a nice guy won’t want to go the same route of Çalhanoğlu and collect the hatred of half the population of Milano. While I’d be very upset if Puli left us, I’d be way less upset if he left us in favor of say, Napoli or Roma, than Inter or Juve.
You need to listen to American pundits and their view of how American players, even when performing can be benched. Yes, the die hard American ACM fans won’t go anywhere. The fans he brought in will drop off if he isn’t playing. If he disappears from view and the power of the American press will impact revenue.
“Indeed it could be that Pulisic is not yet willing to sign an extension, because he wants to see if Milan will be among to the top 4 (or top 5 if Italy qualifies for a 5th spot) by season end. ”
Has the management even given him the paper to sign yet? All I’ve read is that they want to extend his contract but there has been zero rumors saying “Milan has offered this and that to Pulisic”. I don’t think there is a paper to sign yet. I’m sure both parties want to continue but there is no rush.
“once they settle on a #9, Pulisic is no longer a starter for meaningfully games.”
LOL. So Allegri is going to bench the Serie A’s MVP? LOL. 😀 😀 😀 😀
Also, it isn’t about being a nice guy, it’s about his career and being in his prime. He is a professional so won’t do anything that negatively effects the team midseason. We’ll see how the second half of the season goes and then after the WC what happens.
Fair enough. My biggest fear now, like the poster Orlando said, is if we don’t make the UCL again. That will certainly make Pulisic question the project, if we miss the most prestigious club competition in the world, two years in a row.
I was disappoint that Allegri choose to go negative on Pulisic. I’ve haven’t heard him publically say much negative about any player. We get reports from the locker room, but he doesn’t say it in interviews. At the same time building up Nkunku. ?????
Or Allegri knows which strings to pull with his players. I’m sure Pulisic is one of those perfectionists and Allegri’s words will only motivate him to do even better.