Chelsea's reported £65million sale of Nicolas Jackson to Premier League rivals Aston Villa could fall foul of a newly-introduced UEFA rule, according to reports. The Senegal international is the subject of significant interest from Villa, who are seeking a replacement for Ollie Watkins ahead of next week's transfer deadline.
Villa's striker search
Watkins has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi club Al-Hilal and missed Villa's heavy defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend of the new season. He has since returned to training and apologised to his team-mates, but there remains a strong possibility he could leave Villa Park in the coming days.
As a result, the west Midlands outfit have reportedly launched a move for Jackson. Talks have opened over a potential club-record £65million swoop, according to The Telegraph. Villa are said to be ready to meet that asking price, including add-ons, though it is unclear whether Chelsea would want the full transfer fee paid in one instalment.
UEFA rule complication
Even if a deal is agreed, the situation is complicated by a new UEFA rule. The governing body introduced new accounting language for 2026, addressing players moving in opposite directions between the same clubs within 45 days.
That could influence when and how Villa pursue Jackson, given that Morgan Rogers only left them to join Chelsea just over a month ago. The guideline seeks to avoid clubs inflating their bottom lines through what UEFA calls "player exchange transactions".
However, according to The Athletic, there is a route for Villa to bypass that regulation despite the 45-day minimum limit. Signing Jackson may not trigger a breach of the rule as it would not automatically be deemed a "player exchange transaction".
Appeal route and long-standing interest
Clubs reportedly have the option to put forward individual cases to UEFA, who will assess whether it is an entirely separate deal. In this case, Villa could argue that they would have pursued Jackson even if they hadn't sold Rogers to Chelsea last month.
Their interest in the striker is long-standing, having initially been linked with a move for his signature in 2022, when he was still at Villarreal. Jackson himself revealed that he almost moved to Villa Park the following year to reunite with Unai Emery, saying: "When Unai left, he wanted me to go to Aston Villa, but I was injured. I wanted to leave because the coach came in."
"I had to go, but I was injured a little bit in my hamstring. We went there, they checked and said I needed one more month and they want me now. If they want me in one week, two weeks, I was not ready, so they had to cancel the transfer, and I went back. When I went back, I was very angry. Not angry I didn't sign because when we were on the plane, I told my friend, 'Don't worry, better things will come and that's life.' Then I started working more to play with Villarreal."
