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

By: The Associated Press Posted: 2:14 PM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

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.

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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.

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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.

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)

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.