Replacement for Diomande: Nkunku Returns to RB Leipzig

Christopher Nkunku is returning to RB Leipzig after three years to replace Yan Diomande. The 28-year-old Frenchman is on loan from AC Milan for this season. The Saxon Bundesliga club confirmed this. RB also secured an option to buy. Nkunku still has a valid contract with the Italian club through the summer of 2030.

“He has already shown in Leipzig what exceptional quality he brings to the table and that he can decide games. He knows the club, the city, and the environment, and his versatility on offense will give us additional options,” said sporting director Marcel Schäfer regarding the move to bring him back. “We were particularly pleased with how clearly Christo expressed his desire to play for RB Leipzig again. Despite interest from other top European clubs, he was determined to come back.” The versatile Nkunku is expected to help offset the departure of record signing Yan Diomande to Real Madrid. 

However, the Saxons have already had a bad experience with a return move in the forward line. Former national team player Timo Werner was brought back from Chelsea FC in the summer of 2022 but never regained his previous level of performance. After a largely unsuccessful loan to Tottenham in the winter of 2024, he then transferred eight months ago on a free transfer from Leipzig to the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. 

Nagelsmann and Rose praised Nkunku as an exceptional player

Nkunku, who joined Leipzig from Paris Saint-Germain in July 2019 for a transfer fee of 19.5 million euros, was an exceptional player at RB. In total, he scored 47 goals and recorded 43 assists in 119 Bundesliga matches. Former RB coach Julian Nagelsmann praised the Frenchman for his versatility and flexibility across all offensive positions. Former coach Marco Rose also lauded Nkunku as an “exceptional, well-rounded player and a game-changer.” 

After the 2022–2023 season, the forward left the Bundesliga as the top scorer (16 goals, tied with Niclas Füllkrug) and transferred to Chelsea FC for a transfer fee of 60 million euros. Two years later, Nkunku moved to AC Milan. Now the man with the red balloon is returning. As a reminder: Three years ago, he blew up a red balloon after scoring a goal. “That was for my son. He likes balloons,” Nkunku said at the time about the gesture for his three-year-old son. RB has now teased his return on X with a video like that.