Chelsea snap up Nkunku as first major signing of Poch era

Chelsea have unveiled Christopher Nkunku as the first major signing of the Mauricio Pochettino era.

With new boss Poch preparing to start work at Stamford Bridge, Nkunku has agreed a six-year deal to switch from RB Leipzig. 

The France forward, 25, said: "I am incredibly happy to be joining Chelsea.

"A big effort was made to bring me to the club and I am looking forward to meeting my new coach and team-mates and showing the Chelsea supporters what I can do on the pitch.

"Having played in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, I now want to play in the Premier League, one of the strongest leagues in the world.

"I am very excited for this challenge and will be proud to wear the Chelsea shirt."

Nkunku, capped 10 times by his country, netted 70 goals in 172 appearances for Bundesliga outfit Leipzig.

He began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, where he graduated from their academy before making 78 first-team appearances.

Having claimed three Ligue 1 titles, he moved to Germany and went on to fire the Red Bulls to two DFB-Pokal successes and was the Bundesliga's joint-top scorer last term as Marco Rose's men finished third in the table.

Confirming the transfer, believed to be costing Chelsea £63million, co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: "Christopher has proved himself one of the standout attacking players in European football over the past two seasons and will add quality, creativity and versatility to our squad.

"He has demonstrated his ability at the highest level with RB Leipzig and France and we look forward to him joining up with his new team-mates ahead of the new season."

Nkunku's first appearance in a Chelsea shirt could come when Pochettino's men face Wrexham in a pre-season friendly in North Carolina on July 19.

He will then hope to make his Premier League bow against Liverpool at the Bridge on August 13.