CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU reportedly rejected a last-minute transfer offer from Manchester United before returning to RB Leipzig.
The French attacker was the subject of late interest from two Premier League clubs in the closing days of the summer window.
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Newcastle are reported to have enquired to AC Milan about his services, while Michael Carrick is also believed to have asked about bringing the star in to bolster his forward line.
But the 28-year-old elected not to return to the Premier League, where he previously struggled to shine during a two-year stint with Chelsea.
Now Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer has confirmed that Nkunku himself made the decision to snub a return to the Prem and instead rejoin the German outfit.
He said, via BILD: “The transfer wouldn’t have happened without Christo’s steadfastness.
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“Two Premier League clubs were prepared to go to the limit – we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
It’s no surprise that Leipzig were raring to welcome the former France international back on a loan deal with a £24million buy option.
The creative forward was named the Bundesliga player of the season for his 2021/22 campaign with the club, in which he scored 20 goals and produced 15 assists in 34 league games.
But it is not just his output that Schafer was eager to bring to the side, as the executive highlighted the mental attributes that he was hoping to add to the squad.
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He added: “It was personally very important to me that we bring in someone with impeccable character, someone who displays an incredible hunger to prove himself to everyone again. And off the pitch, we also need a role model that the young players can look up to.”
Nkunku will be hoping to return to the heights of his Bundesliga days after a disappointing few years.
He struggled to adapt to the Premier League following his £52million move to Chelsea in 2023, scoring six goals in 38 appearances.
His move to Milan was only slightly more prolific, with seven goals in 32 league showings.
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