France forward Nkunku leaves AC Milan to return to Leipzig where he was most prolific

France forward Nkunku leaves AC Milan to return to Leipzig where he was most prolific | iNFOnews.ca
FILE - AC Milan's Christopher Nkunku reacts at the end of the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Atalanta in Milan, Italy, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) — French forward Christopher Nkunku returned on a loan deal Tuesday to Leipzig where he had the most prolific seasons of his career.

Leipzig said the 28-year-old Nkunku joined on a season-long deal that will include a Champions League campaign with an option to buy him from AC Milan.

Nkunku scored 70 goals in 172 games in an initial four-year spell at Leipzig through 2023 that earned him a call-up to France’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He was injured in training before the tournament and replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.

The most recent of Nkunku’s 18 games for France came in World Cup qualifiers last November.

A two-season spell at Chelsea started with a serious knee injury and ended with winner’s medals in the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2025 Conference League.

Nkunku scored just seven goals in Serie A last season for AC Milan, which missed out on a Champions League place and will play in the Europa League.

Leipzig has money to invest for new coach Martín Demichelis since selling teenage winger Yan Diomande to Real Madrid for a reported 125 million euros ($146 million) after he impressed at the World Cup with Ivory Coast.

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