Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has reportedly trialled moving one of his player’s positions in a bid to find a place for the star.
Since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge last summer Maresca has led the club to victory in the Conference League and steered them back into the Champions League.
However, having already inherited a bloated squad upon his appointment and with yet more new arrivals during his tenure, a number of expensively-acquired stars have found themselves struggling for minutes.
One of the players to become lost in the shuffle is France international Christopher Nkunku.
Signed for £53million in the summer of 2023, Nkunku had been prolific in back-to-back Bundesliga campaigns with RB Leipzig.
A knee injury suffered during a pre-season game curtailed his involvement however, and he was ultimately limited to just 14 appearances in all competitions in his maiden season in west London.
Enzo Maresca has reportedly trialled playing Christopher Nkunku as a defensive midfielder
Nkunku has largely fallen out of favour under Maresca and could leave Chelsea this summer
French media claim that playing Nkunku out of position in training may have been intended as a test of the player’s strength of character
In the Premier League last season Nkunku was largely restricted to appearances off the bench, and he is expected to be allowed to depart for pastures new this summer.
Although it appears his time at the club is coming to an end, reports from France suggest Maresca had experimented with deploying Nkunku deeper.
According to L’Equipe, the 27-year-old has often played in defensive midfield during training sessions, a move that has been described as potentially intended as a means of testing Nkunku’s strength of character.
The move could also be an experiment on Maresca’s behalf to see if Nkunku’s talents could be adapted to a more defensive role, similar to Joelinton at Newcastle under Eddie Howe.
The report also suggests that Nkunku is keen on a move this summer in the hopes of being able to figure in Didier Deschamps’ plans for next summer’s World Cup in North America.
Manchester United and Inter Milan are said to have made initial enquiries regarding the striker, though neither club has made an official approach.
