Christopher Nkunku is on his way back to RB Leipzig, with Milan having reached a verbal agreement over the forward's exit, according to Sky Germany.
Nkunku has been left out of Ruben Amorim's plans, and finding him a new home became one of the mercato's cleaner problems to solve. Several clubs circled in recent days, but a return to the club where he made his name always looked the most probable outcome.
Florian Plettenburg reports that the framework is now in place: a loan with an option to buy for the 28-year-old. In his words, it is a "DONE DEAL," with a "verbal agreement in principle reached with AC Milan for the return of the 28 y/o versatile forward" and only the "last details" left to settle. He adds that the deal is "set to be finalised in the next 2-3 days."
The structure matters for Milan's accounting. A loan with an option, rather than an obligation, means the forward comes off the wage bill immediately while the club keeps the door open to a permanent fee down the line, though nothing about the option figure has been disclosed.
Aston Villa, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United were all floated as possible landing spots for the former Chelsea man, per the same report. None of them, in the end, matched the pull of a Leipzig homecoming.
With terms agreed in principle and Leipzig identified as the destination, the remaining work is paperwork and timing, and Plettenburg's window points to the next few days.