Nkunku Transfer Shock: Milan Lists Forward as Roma Eyes Soulé Swap

Christopher Nkunku’s Milan adventure may be over before it ever really began to take shape.

With less than two weeks left in the summer window, head coach Ruben Amorim has placed the 28-year-old on the transfer list, handing the club’s hierarchy an updated roll call of expendable players. Nkunku, once a pre-season fascination, now finds himself working on the fringes at Milanello, a long way from the central role many expected him to claim.

The twist has not gone unnoticed. Roma are watching. Closely.

The capital club have moved quickly after Calcio Mercato reported Nkunku’s sudden availability, sensing an opening to strengthen their attacking unit. It is not a new obsession. Roma’s interest in the former Chelsea man stretches back months.

In January, Giallorossi boss Gian Piero Gasperini identified Nkunku as the perfect tactical piece for his puzzle. Left-sided, creative, able to drift between the lines – he ticked every box. Gasperini pushed, convinced the Frenchman was the ideal profile to upgrade his attacking options on that flank.

He got nowhere. Milan dug in, the player stayed put, and any talk of a move was shut down by the Rossoneri hierarchy. Nkunku himself showed no desire to force an exit. The door slammed shut.

But admiration doesn’t vanish that easily. Roma’s regard for Nkunku has survived that failed winter chase intact. If anything, it has hardened. And with their pursuit of Rodrigo Mora stalling in recent weeks, sporting director Tony D’Amico has turned back to the old target, preparing what is described as a renewed push to bring Nkunku to the capital.

This time, the contours of the deal look very different.

According to Asromalive, an intriguing scenario is taking shape: a potential swap involving Argentine attacker Matías Soulé as a direct makeweight. No complicated three-club structures, no long chains of dependent moves – just a straight exchange built around two players both Serie A giants have admired.

From Milan’s side, the logic is obvious. Soulé has been high on their recruitment list as they search for a creative presence in the attacking midfield zone. Younger, versatile, technically sharp – he fits the profile Amorim wants behind the striker. Including him in the negotiations would immediately address one of the Rossoneri’s key squad needs.

For Roma, Nkunku would deliver what Gasperini has wanted since January: a left-sided attacker who can operate as both scorer and creator, capable of stretching defences or cutting inside to link play. On paper, it looks like one of those rare deals that genuinely suits both dressing rooms and both dugouts.

The numbers help. Neither club expects a huge gap in valuation. Both Milan and Roma currently peg their assets in a similar bracket, somewhere between €35m and €40m. That alignment removes one of the usual flashpoints in high-level negotiations.

But the real fault line lies elsewhere. Wages.

Nkunku is on a significantly richer contract than Soulé. Reports indicate the Argentine earns just over half of the Frenchman’s salary, creating a clear financial divide that cannot be ignored. Any swap would have to reconcile that difference, whether through a pay rise for Soulé, a reduction from Nkunku, or a carefully structured package of bonuses and add-ons.

Time is not a luxury here. The deadline is closing in, and both clubs know the next days will decide whether this elegant idea becomes a real transfer or just another what-if of the window. Milan want clarity over their attacking shape under Amorim. Roma need to give Gasperini the wide forward he has been asking for.