Christopher Nkunku Prefers Return to RB Leipzig Over Newcastle

Christopher Nkunku is steering his future back towards familiar ground.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the French forward has made it clear he prefers a return to RB Leipzig over a move to Newcastle United, with Milan ready to let him go on loan with an option to buy.

Leipzig in front, Newcastle trailing

Both Leipzig and Newcastle are in talks with Milan, but the race is already stretched out. Gazzetta’s Milan reporter Luca Bianchin reports that the Magpies sit “well behind” the Bundesliga club in the chase for the ex-Chelsea attacker.

Nkunku knows Leipzig inside out. He shone there between 2019 and 2023 before Chelsea took him to the Premier League, and then Milan brought him to San Siro a year ago in a deal worth €37m plus add-ons.

The reunion now looks close.

One season, modest return

Nkunku’s time in Milan has felt more like a stopover than a new era. Not part of Ruben Amorim’s plans for next season, he finished the last campaign with eight goals in 35 competitive appearances – a solid but unspectacular return for a player signed to be a difference-maker.

That output, coupled with Amorim’s tactical vision, has opened the door for a move. Milan are prepared to sanction a loan and let someone else pick up the bill.

Deal structure taking shape

The framework is clear. Gazzetta reports that Milan and Leipzig expect to finalise a loan with an option to buy in the coming days, with the German side set to cover Nkunku’s €5m salary for the 2026-27 season.

Newcastle remain in the conversation, but this looks like a transfer driven by the player’s preference and his past. Unless something dramatic changes, Nkunku’s next step seems less like a new adventure and more like a return to the stage where he once looked unstoppable.