Chelsea transfer target Christopher Nkunku’s hopes of featuring in the World Cup have been left in tatters after sustaining a knee ligament problem, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
The RB Leipzig and France attacker was looking to his eight caps in Qatar, but he has suffered a major blow just days before the tournament gets underway.
What’s the latest news involving Nkunku’s injury?
Having been named in France’s World Cup squad by boss Didier Deschamps earlier this month, Nkunku has been forced to pull out through injury.
The national team confirmed that the 25-year-old will not compete in Qatar after sustaining a problem during a training session prior to heading to the Middle East.
Footage shows that Nkunku was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga and immediately clutched the back of his left leg, looking in discomfort, before needing to be assisted off the pitch.
The setback comes after finding the back of the net 17 times and registering a further four assists in 23 appearances for Leipzig this season.
France, who will be looking to make it back-to-back World Cup wins, have revealed that Randal Kolo Muani has replaced Nkunku in the squad.
Read more: World Cup 2022: Dates, Schedule, Location, Groups, Tickets, Odds And More
What has Ben Dinnery said about Nkunku?
Dinnery understands that Camavinga’s challenge has left Nkunku with a knee problem, which resulted in him being unable to play any part in the World Cup.
The injury news journalist believes the Frenchman has potentially sustained damage to his medial collateral ligament.
Dinnery told GIVEMESPORT: “I think the imaging revealed that there was a bit of a ligament sprain. It is nothing too serious and I’m thinking it’s possibly a mechanism problem after a 50/50 challenge. That’s quite common in football, if that was the case.
“There could potentially be damage to that medial collateral ligament. If it was more of a collision and it was maybe knee-on-knee contact, then we’re looking at that medial ligament, but it just depends on how that came together.”
Could Nkunku’s injury have an impact on Chelsea’s interest?
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has told GIVEMESPORT that Chelsea are ‘really close’ to concluding a deal for Nkunku, but his injury may result in the Blues wanting to delay rubber-stamping the switch.
It is understood that the west Londoners are confident they have wrapped up a move for the Leipzig talisman and could lure him to Stamford Bridge as soon as January after being willing to pay more than his £58million release clause, which becomes active next summer.
Nkunku travelled to Frankfurt to undergo a medical ahead of a potential move in September, but his knee problem will likely result in Chelsea wanting him to go through further tests.
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