Christopher Nkunku Eyes Return to RB Leipzig Over Newcastle United

Christopher Nkunku is pushing for a familiar door rather than a new one. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the French forward wants RB Leipzig, not Newcastle United, as his next stop.

The 28-year-old is edging closer to a return to the Bundesliga club where he truly exploded between 2019 and 2023. Milan, after just one season with him at San Siro, are ready to let him go on loan with an option to buy.

Nkunku is not in Ruben Amorim’s plans for next season. That has opened the way for talks with both Leipzig and Newcastle, but the race is already stretched out. Gazzetta’s Milan correspondent Luca Bianchin reports that the Magpies are “well behind” Leipzig in the chase for the ex-Chelsea attacker.

Milan signed Nkunku from the Blues a year ago in a deal worth €37m plus add-ons, hoping he would bring the same cutting edge he showed in Germany. It never fully clicked. Eight goals in 35 competitive appearances is a modest return for a marquee signing expected to tilt big games.

There were flashes. On May 17, 2026, in Genoa, Nkunku buried a penalty at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in a Serie A clash with Genoa CFC, a reminder of the technique and calm that once made him one of Europe’s most coveted forwards. But those moments came too rarely to change his status in Milan’s long-term project.

Now the path is clear. Milan and RB Leipzig are working to finalise a loan agreement with an option to buy in the coming days. Leipzig are expected to cover his €5m salary for the 2026-27 season.

If the deal goes through, Nkunku will walk back into a club and a league that once suited him perfectly. The question is simple: can Leipzig unlock the old Nkunku again, or has that chapter already been written?