Teams such as Manchester United could still “hijack” Chelsea’s move for RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Trusted journalist David Ornstein has said that the Frenchman has signed a pre-contract agreement with the Blues. However, Romano doesn’t believe anything has been put into writing yet, meaning United could still get involved if they decide to reignite their interest in the player:

“Manchester United were also interested in Nkunku when Ralf Rangnick was at the club, but then there were no more contacts between the parties. Clubs can always hijack deals until it’s signed but at the moment Chelsea are more than leading the race. The fee will be more than €60m, still waiting to understand the final amount.”

Nkunku does have a €60m (£52m) release clause which can be triggered by any club next summer but Chelsea have decided to pay a bit more than that figure in order to get a deal in place now. It is believed that discussions over the final fee are still ongoing, meaning teams like United, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid could still technically hijack things.

As Romano says, though, United were interested in Nkunku when Ralf Rangnick was still at the club. It doesn’t seem as if current manager Erik ten Hag is as keen to recruit the France international.