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Chelsea have been dealt a major blow on the eve of the new season with summer arrival Christopher Nkunku set to need surgery on the knee injury suffered against Borussia Dortmund last week. 

French forward Nkunku damaged the meniscus in his knee in Chelsea’s pre-season friendly draw in Chicago and it is feared that he won't be able to return to training for 16 weeks - and is unlikely to play again before December.

Nkunku, who joined this window from RB Leipzig in a deal that was agreed last year, was one of Chelsea’s standout performers during their tour of America, scoring three times.

But he was hurt early on in their final game against Borussia Dortmund in the early hours of Thursday morning, eventually being forced off midway through the first half.

Nkunku was seen with an ice pack on his left knee and there were initial hopes the damage was not too serious though it has proved to be more serious than first anticipated.