Chelsea may be forced to rethink January transfer plans for RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku.

Nkunku is out of France's World Cup squad with a knee strain.

France have confirmed the issue is just a sprain after publishing the following statement on the 25-year-old: "Injured in training, Christopher Nkunku must give up participating in the World Cup. The whole group shares Christopher's sadness and wishes him a speedy recovery.

"Nkunku had left the training session before its end, injured in the left knee. The radiological examinations taken in the evening unfortunately revealed that it was a sprain..."

Chelsea are believed to be on the cusp of clinching the signing of Nkunku after he signed a new two-year contract with Leipzig earlier this summer, says the Daily Express.

The deal is believed to contain a £52.4million release clause that kicks into action at the end of the current season.