Tottenham Eyes Nicolas Jackson Amid Striker Market Changes

Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season rhythm briefly paused on Friday for a familiar summer soundtrack: a fresh transfer line on a centre-forward.

French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reports that Spurs are one of three clubs keeping close tabs on Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, with Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid also monitoring the Senegal international as the window heads into its final stretch. The figure being mentioned is around £60m.

This isn’t the first time Jackson’s name has been tied to Tottenham. A Mail report earlier this month claimed Spurs were considering a move, a story that several well-connected English reporters, including Alasdair Gold, quickly knocked down.

This latest line carries a different weight. Hawkins is regarded as a solid voice on French and Francophone players, and the numbers being floated are specific: £60m, slightly under the £65m fee quoted in that earlier Mail piece.

The price point also drops Jackson into the same conversation as Cody Gakpo. Liverpool have reportedly been sounding out a £70m valuation for the Dutchman, three years older than Jackson and not a natural No 9. Jackson, by contrast, is an out-and-out striker, which fits more cleanly with what Spurs are believed to be chasing.

This still has the feel of a contingency plan rather than a headline act. Tottenham’s main attacking priorities remain Savinho and Gakpo. But the market above them is starting to snarl.

PSG are said to be demanding a huge fee from Liverpool for Bradley Barcola. If Liverpool can’t prise Barcola out of Paris, they are unlikely to entertain serious offers for Gakpo. That kind of chain reaction is exactly what forces clubs like Spurs to sketch out Plan B, Plan C and beyond. Jackson appears to sit in that second tier of options: not the first name on the board, but a realistic pivot if the Gakpo route closes.

Strip away the rivalry for a moment and Jackson’s profile is intriguing. Yes, he underperforms his xG. Yes, he’s already done damage against Tottenham in a Chelsea shirt. But he consistently gets into prime shooting areas, works central zones and generates shots in the box — traits that are hard to buy in this market, especially in a player still on the right side of his peak years.

Dropped into an aggressive, front-foot system like Roberto De Zerbi’s at Spurs, Jackson would offer vertical runs, pressing energy and a genuine penalty-box presence. For a fanbase understandably wary of signing a Chelsea forward, that skepticism tends to evaporate quickly once the ball starts hitting the net.

For now, though, this sits in Tottenham’s back pocket. Savinho and Gakpo remain the live wires at the top of the list. If Liverpool lock Gakpo in and PSG keep playing hardball over Barcola, the next move becomes clear: do Spurs double down on their first choices, or turn to Jackson and test Chelsea’s resolve at £60m?