Chelsea suffer £52m pre-season injury scare ahead of Liverpool clash

Chelsea are currently sweating over the fitness of Christopher Nkunku ahead of their pre-season opener with Liverpool after the forward was brought off after just 20 minutes in their friendly against Borussia Dortmund.

The £52m summer signing has enjoyed a solid pre-season to date, scoring against Wrexham, Brighton and Fulham so far. He looks to have settled into life at Chelsea already as part of their new-look attack this season.

However, he may not be available for their Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 13. The 25-year-old was brought off after just 22 minutes following a challenge which left him limping off with ice around his knee.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was able to shed some light on the issue in his post-match interview: “The doctors are checking him,” the Argentine said. “He had the chance to score but he feels something in his knee.

“Hopefully it is not a big issue and that he can be quick with the team. We need a few days to assess him and until we get back to London it is difficult to know.

“Always we take some risks because the pitch is not perfect as they are using it for different sports and that is sometimes the risk of the tour.

“I think it was a bit unlucky in the situation but we cannot complain about the pitch and to blame the pitch for why he suffered the injury. For me, it was bad luck.”

Last season saw him capture the Bundesliga top scorer award after netting 16 times in 25 games, a feat that also included six assists.

His 23 goals in all competitions followed an incredible 2021/22 campaign in which he managed 35 goals and 20 assists and he has built a strong reputation from his time in Germany.

Chelsea have now completed their pre-season, enjoying an unbeaten campaign and now they will soon head back to London to prepare for the clash with Jurgen Klopp’s side at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the Premier League.