Christopher Nkunku responds to Chelsea exit talk amid PSG transfer links

Christopher Nkunku has played down suggestions he could leave Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain.

Nkunku has scored seven goals in 11 games for the Blues this season, but is Enzo Maresca’s second choice behind Nicolas Jackson for the lone striker role.

The 26-year-old scored his first goal for France in their 4-1 Nations League win over Israel on Friday.

And when asked about international team-mate Bradley Barcola - who plays for PSG - Nkunku told French outlet Telefoot: “Since the start of the season, I’ve been following PSG closely, and I can see he’s been putting up great stats.

“He scores and makes an impact, which is exactly what we expect from an attacking player. I hope he keeps it up, both at PSG and with the national team, just like he did [against Israel].

“A Nkunku-Barcola partnership at PSG? I don’t know what to say about that. But yes, PSG is still a big club. Any approach this summer? No, no, no. I’ve always said there was no approach.”

Maresca has been impressed with Nkunku this season, despite not starting him in the Premier League since the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in August.

When asked about the battle between Jackson and Nkunku to be Chelsea’s lone striker, the Blues boss said: “The most important thing for me is that they make my choice difficult.

“That means they are all doing well and this is the key point and we need to continue doing that.

“This is a nice problem, when you have two strikers that continue to score. It’s nice you can decide which one and because they are in a good moment we can use them.”