France forward Nkunku leaves AC Milan to return to Leipzig where he was most prolific

By The Associated Press
August 25, 2026 | 3:31 PM

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) 鈥� French forward Christopher Nkunku returned on a loan deal Tuesday to Leipzig where he had the most prolific seasons of his career.

Leipzig said the 28-year-old Nkunku joined on a season-long deal that will include a Champions League campaign with an option to buy him from AC Milan.

Nkunku scored 70 goals in 172 games in an initial four-year spell at Leipzig through 2023 that earned him a call-up to France’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He was and replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.

The most recent of Nkunku’s 18 games for France came in World Cup qualifiers last November.

A two-season spell at Chelsea started with a serious knee injury and ended with winner’s medals in the 2025 Club World Cup and the 2025 Conference League.

Nkunku scored just seven goals in Serie A last season for AC Milan, which missed out on a Champions League place and will play in the Europa League.

Leipzig has money to invest for new coach Mart铆n Demichelis since selling for a reported 125 million euros ($146 million) after he impressed at the World Cup with Ivory Coast.

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SEC joins Big Ten in banning pros from returning to college, including basketball players

By The Associated Press
August 25, 2026 | 8:08 PM

The Southeastern Conference passed a rule Tuesday banning players who have been drafted by NFL, NBA or WNBA teams or listed on rosters in those leagues, joining the Big Ten in taking a strong stand against this month's unexpected surge of pro players trying to return to college. The SEC's rule differs from the one adopted by the Big Ten, which only included football in its decision released earlier in the day and is expected address other sports later. The news was the latest in a head-spinning week of court rulings, emergency rulemaking sessions and player signings, all of which point to a college sports landscape in disarray. The moves by the nation's two biggest conferences, four days before the start of football season, are intended to tamp down on the latest crisis 鈥� one involving players who came back to college after being released from pro rosters. 鈥淚 feel like I took a freaking gummy,鈥� said Sean McVay, the coach of the Los Angeles Rams, when asked about the prospect of a player he released returning to college. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even understand it.鈥�

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