Nkunku 'Says Yes' to Leipzig Homecoming as World Cup 2026 Audition Heats Up

Christopher Nkunku appears to have chosen familiar surroundings over San Siro, with Football Italia reporting that the French forward has 'said yes' to a return to RB Leipzig — a decision that could have significant consequences for his FIFA World Cup 2026 ambitions. According to the Italian outlet, Milan had monitored the situation closely and were fully informed of the asking price involved. Yet despite the allure of Serie A and the grand stage of the San Siro, the Frenchman has reportedly given his approval to a homecoming at the Red Bull Arena, where he produced the best football of his career between 2019 and 2023, earning Bundesliga Player of the Season honours and a big-money move to Chelsea. That switch to London never truly ignited. Injuries and patchy form limited his influence at Stamford Bridge, and with France's squad picture for North America slowly taking shape, regular playing time has become non-negotiable. The World Cup subplot is impossible to ignore. Nkunku was named in France's squad for Qatar 2022 only to suffer a knee injury in training days before the tournament, cruelly robbing him of a first World Cup appearance while Les Bleus marched to the final without him. Four years on, with the expanded 48-team tournament set to be staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico — and Didier Deschamps having confirmed it will be his final campaign as France coach — Nkunku knows this may represent his last realistic shot at football's grandest stage. A return to Leipzig offers precisely what Milan could not guarantee: a leading role, a system built around his movement, and the minutes Deschamps will demand from anyone hoping to board the plane across the Atlantic. For Milan, the report brings clarity rather than heartbreak. Armed with knowledge of the fee and the player's preference, the Rossoneri can now redirect their resources elsewhere as they assemble a squad packed with players chasing World Cup places of their own. Whether the Leipzig reunion actually materialises remains to be seen — football's rumour mill rarely runs in a straight line — but the underlying logic is sound. For a player whose career has been defined by untimely setbacks, going back to the club where he became a star is less a retreat than a calculated reset. With the World Cup drawing ever closer, every match, every goal and every ounce of rhythm matters. Nkunku has said yes to Leipzig. Now he must hope that answer carries him, at long last, onto the World Cup stage that fate denied him in Qatar.