Nkunku Transfer Saga: Milan's Shocking Decision and Roma's Interest

Christopher Nkunku’s Milan adventure is already hanging by a thread. With less than two weeks left in the summer window, head coach Ruben Amorim has placed the 28-year-old Frenchman on the transfer list and pushed him to the fringes of first-team training at Milanello.

It is a brutal change of course. Early in pre-season, Amorim was said to be enamoured with Nkunku’s profile, seeing him as a key piece in his attacking puzzle. That spark has faded quickly. Now the former Chelsea forward is working away from the main group, and his sudden availability has jolted the market.

Roma have moved fastest.

The capital club have been tracking Nkunku’s situation closely, sensing an opening to strengthen their attack. According to Calcio Mercato, the Giallorossi are ready to revive a long-standing interest that never really went away.

Their admiration goes back months. In January, Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini identified Nkunku as the ideal fit for his left-sided attacking lane, a player he believed could slot straight into his system. At that time, though, the deal hit a wall: resistance from both Milan’s hierarchy and the player himself killed any hope of a winter move.

That stance has shifted only in one city. Roma’s view of Nkunku has not changed; Milan’s has.

With Roma struggling to land Rodrigo Mora in recent weeks, sporting director Tony D’Amico is now turning his full attention back to Nkunku, this time with a different kind of proposal.

As reported by Asromalive, talks between the clubs could revolve around a high-profile swap: Nkunku to Roma, Matías Soulé to Milan.

For Milan, the idea is logical. Soulé has been high on their recruitment list as they search for a creative attacking midfielder who can operate between the lines and out wide. Slotting him into Amorim’s system would tick a major box in their rebuild. For Roma, Nkunku would deliver the left-sided attacking quality Gasperini has been chasing since January.

On paper, it looks clean. Two Serie A heavyweights, two players, one deal that suits both tactical blueprints.

Financially, the gap is not huge either. Both clubs currently value their attackers in a similar bracket, around €35m to €40m. That alignment removes one of the usual stumbling blocks in top-level swaps.

The real problem sits on the wage slip.

Nkunku’s salary at Milan is significantly higher than Soulé’s current deal. Reports suggest the Argentine earns just over half of what the Frenchman takes home, creating a sharp financial imbalance that any swap must address. Roma would need to decide whether to stretch their wage structure for Nkunku, while Milan would have to calibrate Soulé’s new contract to reflect his upgraded status without overpaying.

Time is not on anyone’s side.

With the deadline closing in, Milan and Roma face a race to construct a package that works for both clubs and both players. The fees look manageable, the tactical fit is clear, but the wage issue threatens to drag negotiations into dangerous territory.

If they crack the numbers, though, Nkunku could be reborn in the capital and Soulé could walk into a starring role at San Siro.

In a window short on genuine blockbuster moves, this one has all the ingredients to change the shape of the season for two giants of Serie A.