Chelsea Set £60 Million Price for Nicolas Jackson Amid Interest from Tottenham and Aston Villa
Chelsea have put a £60 million price tag on Nicolas Jackson as Tottenham and Aston Villa circle, but that valuation is already threatening to kill the deal before it starts.
The 25-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge off the back of a productive loan at Bayern Munich, where he hit 11 goals in 34 games. Bayern had the option to make the move permanent for €65m (£55.5m) and walked away. That decision has handed Chelsea a dilemma and the rest of Europe an opportunity.
Jackson’s future in Alonso’s hands
Fresh from four appearances for Senegal at this summer’s World Cup, Jackson is now back in west London for pre-season, with Xabi Alonso holding the final say on his future.
According to RMC Sport, both Chelsea and Alonso are ready to cash in before the window closes, but only on their terms. Those terms are steep: £60m or nothing.
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid have all registered interest. They see a mobile, athletic forward who has just spent a year at the sharp end of a title-winning dressing room in Germany. Chelsea see a valuable asset whose sale could reshape their attack and their balance sheet.
Right now, that £60m asking price is the sticking point. The report describes it as the “main obstacle” to any agreement, and the market is treating it exactly like that.
Omitted from squad as Chelsea reshape attack
The tension around Jackson’s future was underlined at the weekend. He was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their final pre-season friendly, a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge.
Alonso’s side managed fine without him. That only adds to the sense that Chelsea are preparing for life beyond Jackson, especially after moving early to bring in another striker.
Danny Welbeck has already arrived from Brighton in a £5m deal, a low-cost, high-experience option who can plug gaps and offer depth across the front line. With Welbeck through the door and Jackson on the fringes, the direction of travel is obvious. The question is whether any club blinks first on the fee.
Delap also on the market
Jackson is not the only forward Chelsea are ready to move on.
Liam Delap, signed from Ipswich Town for £30m last year, is also available. Like Jackson, he was absent from the squad that faced Real Sociedad, another clear signal from Alonso and the club hierarchy.
Chelsea want around £40m for the 23-year-old, banking on his age and potential to drive the price up. There is concrete interest: Serie A side Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas and already home to former Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, have made an approach.
Delap, though, has his eyes on a different path. His preference is to stay in the Premier League, to prove he belongs at this level rather than slip quietly out of the English spotlight.
So Chelsea wait. Two strikers on the market. Two firm price tags. One squad being aggressively reshaped under a new head coach.
If Tottenham, Aston Villa or anyone else want Jackson or Delap, they know the numbers. The next move belongs to them.
