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Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign RB Leipzig superstar Xavi Simons and they are willing to sacrifice Christopher Nkunku in order to finalise a deal for the Netherlands international.
Nkunku, 27, has endured a tough two-year spell at Stamford Bridge and Enzo Maresca’s side have decided to offload him on a permanent deal before the end of the 2025 summer transfer window.
Simons is expected to provide cover as a left winger and as an attacking midfielder if he successfully completes a move to west London, with Nkunku set to be forced to depart as a result.
However, while Chelsea are determined to offload Nkunku in order to make room for Simons, Bundesliga expert Ronan Murphy believes Maresca’s squad will be getting worse if they press ahead with this plan.
Xavi Simons: A worse version of Christopher Nkunku?
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you. What do they say for fool me three times? Because that is exactly what Chelsea are about to do,” Murphy told FootballTransfers.
“Timo Werner – RB Leipzig to Chelsea, 2020. Christopher Nkunku – RB Leipzig to Chelsea, 2023. Xavi Simons – RB Leipzig to Chelsea, 2025?
“Chelsea spent over €100m on the first two players and neither worked out at Stamford Bridge. Now they are set to sign a third attacking player from RB Leipzig, and this one is arguably the worst of the lot.
“Before moving to London, Werner had scored 95 goals in 159 games for the Red Bull-sponsored side, and Nkunku was on 70 goals in 72 games across four seasons when he left the Bundesliga. Simons is set to leave Leipzig with just 21 goals in 76 games after three seasons in Germany, only reaching double figures in the first of those three campaigns.
“That might be acceptable if he was providing assists instead, but he has only created 23 goals in all competitions during his time in the east German city. Lower than Nkunku? Yes, by a considerable margin. Meanwhile, Werner provided 13 assists in his final season at Leipzig and reached double figures for assists in three consecutive seasons.”
Murphy continued: “Simons is a huge talent, that much is obvious when you ignore the raw stats and watch him play. He’s had some incredible performances for the Netherlands and RB Leipzig, but he is extremely inconsistent.
“We have seen him win matches on his own, but when Leipzig needed him in the final parts of the 2024-25 Bundesliga season, after smashing their club record to sign him permanently, he almost disappeared.
“An ankle injury meant he was out until Christmas, but he played every game bar one in the Bundesliga in 2025, and would regularly have matches where you wondered if he was on the pitch or when he might make an impact.
“He obviously cannot shoulder all the blame for RB Leipzig missing out on Europe entirely with their worst league finish ever in the German top flight. Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda also disappointed up front, but Simons’ seven assists is almost exactly as expected, with the Dutchman creating just 6.3 xG for his team-mates last season.
“The only thing Simons has over Nkunku right now is age, as he is still just 22. But would Chelsea be better off not being fooled a third time and just sticking with the French attacker who scored more goals last season than the new man they are willing to spend €60m on? Fool me thrice, shame on Chelsea.”
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