Overview
- AC Milan and RB Leipzig officially confirmed on Tuesday that Christopher Nkunku has joined Leipzig on a loan through 30 June 2027 with an option for Leipzig to buy him permanently.
- Most reports place the deal at an initial loan fee in the low millions plus a buy option near €28m, a package commonly described as roughly €32m if the option is exercised, though some outlets reported slightly different splits.
- Milan sanctioned the move after new coach Ruben Amorim left Nkunku outside his 2026–27 plans, and the club sees the loan as a way to lower Nkunku’s reported wages and limit an immediate transfer loss.
- Nkunku returns to the club where he enjoyed his brightest years — he scored 70 goals and supplied 56 assists in 172 games for Leipzig between 2019 and 2023 — and arrives seeking regular minutes after a one-season spell at Milan with modest returns.
- The departure frees salary space for Milan as they try to move other surplus players and allows Leipzig to add a versatile, proven attacker to their squad with a clear decision point at season’s end on whether to make the transfer permanent.