Fabrizio Romano gives £68m Chelsea signing ‘Here We Go’ seal of approval with timeline for first Graham Potter deal revealed

Chelsea have finalised the signing of Christopher Nkunku after trusted reporter Fabrizio Romano gave the signing his famous ‘Here We Go’ seal of approval.

The attacking midfielder has emerged as one of European football’s most in-demand stars after a stunning season for RB Leipzig in 2021/22. Indeed, he smashed home 35 goals and added another 20 assists in all competitions. And his form this season has shown no signs of easing, with Nkunku already boasting 12 goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances.

And with an exit clause set at £52.8m, that led to a something of a mad scramble to secure his services.

The Blues though soon emerged as favourites to sign the Frenchman a couple of months back. That’s after the news was leaked that they had agreed a deal to pay above and beyond his release clause. By paying an inflated fee – reported to be as high as £68m – Chelsea look to have blown away the competition for his signature.

However, despite undergoing a medical with Chelsea and shaking hands on a deal, nothing had been officially signed.

As such, a number of other clubs, such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid were reportedly looking to hijack the transfer.

However, Chelsea have always been in command of the Nkunku situation. And TEAMtalk was exclusively able to reveal last month that the Blues’ signing of Nkunku was ‘absolute’.

Now the deal has been given the strongest rubberstamp of them all – aside from confirmation from the clubs themselves.

And Fabrizio Romano – who provided the graphic of Nkunku in a Chelsea shirt – now claims the signing is done.

Details emerge of Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea signing

Chelsea had been in talks to bring forward the signing of the French star to the January window.

However, Romano claims the 25-year-old will instead move to London from July 1.

Posting on Twitter, Romano stated: ‘Christopher Nkunku deal, signed and sealed – here we go now confirmed. All documents and contracts are also signed, it’s 100% closed.

‘French striker can be considered new Chelsea player, starting from July 2023. It’s all signed/sealed with RB Leipzig and player side.’

Nkunku – who was a late injury withdrawal from France’s World Cup squad – will now see out the season with Leipzig.

And reports claim he will sign a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge, keeping him at Chelsea until summer 2028.

The signing of Nkunku will be the fourth costliest deal in Chelsea’s history. Only Romelu Lukaku (£98.5m), Kai Havertz (£72m) and Kepa (also £72m) will have cost more.

It’s also interesting that Romano refers to Nkunku as a striker. While he can lead the line, the player is seen as more of a No 10 / CAM.

But perhaps the billing of him as a striker gives an insight into Chelsea’s thinking. The Blues have looked short in attack this season in light of Lukaku and Timo Werner’s exits.

Nkunku, however, could solve that issue by playing as a central striker for the Blues next season. And he will also go down as the first signing of the Graham Potter era, albeit the deal not going through until July 1.

READ MORE: Chelsea break clear from Liverpool, Man Utd for striker who’ll represent the bargain of a lifetime