CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU arrived at Chelsea with a box of blue balloons, ready to leave, but found himself deflated and looking for a way out.
Bayern Munich are offering a return to Germany, where he scored 70 goals in 172 appearances for RB Leipzig, and an end to his Chelsea frustration.
Vincent Kompany's side are in talks over a deal this month, although Chelsea are expecting more than £60million for the forward.
Nkunku, 27, has had a torrid time since joining from Leipzig for £56million in June 2023.
The Frenchman suffered a terrible knee injury during his first pre-season thanks to a dodgy throw at Soldier Field in Chicago and required surgery.
That limited Nkunku to just two Premier League starts last season, a season in which he also suffered a hamstring injury.
A faltering start to his Chelsea career left the France international behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking order.
Stamford Bridge has been a difficult place to settle for many in recent years.
Huge changes in the dressing room and behind the scenes have made things challenging for new faces – and there have been plenty of them.
Nkunku arrived in a summer in which the Blues spent more than £400 million on a host of new players, including his rival for the No. 9 role, Jackson.
And despite early signs during this season's US tour that Nkunku could fit well into Enzo Maresca's system, he remains behind Jackson and has grown frustrated.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man now seems destined for the list of strikers who have been shaken up on the bridge and failed to make the grade.
Romelu Lukaku, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata and Fernando Torres are likely to welcome a new member to their club.
Nkunku has scored 13 goals for the Blues this season, although only two have come in the Premier League.
Scoring regularly in the Europa Conference League simply does not translate into a regular threat at home.
The player's frustration is that the opportunities to show he can be dangerous in the Premier League are not forthcoming.
There have been just three league starts this season and he has played 90 minutes just once – against Southampton, when he recorded a goal and an assist.
Until the January window opened and Nkunku's future was seriously questioned, he had been involved in all of Chelsea's Premier League games but simply hasn't shown he can compete.
Jackson, who has a better goals and assists record per 90 minutes in all competitions, is a better fit as Maresca's number 9, where Nkunku is keen to play.
If you include the cup and European games, Nkunku seems the more efficient striker – with better minutes per goal and a better shot conversion rate.
But if you go to purely Premier League matches, the statistics turn around: testament to his struggle to impress where it matters.
Even from a wide distance he cannot eliminate Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho or Pedro Neto.
After even being tried in a smaller midfield role in pre-season, Nkunku is running out of opportunities at Chelsea.
His long-term focus is to be in America with France for the World Cup next year.
And the way things are going now, that still seems far away.
Therefore, a breakout plan is being drawn up – one that Chelsea are reluctant to sanction, as long as they get their asking price and can replace the Frenchman.
The fact that a player of Nkunku's undoubted quality cannot get into the Blues squad will be seen as a positive within the club, an example of the competition within Maresca's squad.
The Italian manager has had to play a delicate balancing game this season with a number of attacking options, some of whom have taken their chances and pushed on.
Neither Sancho nor Neto have started early but have both made progress, while Madueke, despite being called out by Maresca for his attitude, always looks a threat when on the right.
The one left out, the one struggling to make his mark, is Nkunku.
With a World Cup next year, he can't afford to wait until something clicks.
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