Nicolas Jackson is keen on a move from Chelsea to Aston Villa, where he could reunite with former manager Unai Emery. The 25-year-old spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea.
Jackson's Chelsea career
Jackson joined Chelsea from Villarreal in 2023 and played regularly for two seasons, scoring 30 goals in 81 appearances. However, the signings of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap meant the Senegal international was unlikely to play much last season, leading to a loan move to Bayern Munich.
At Bayern, he made 34 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 times, but could not dislodge Harry Kane as the starting striker. He leaves having won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.
Interest from Aston Villa
Emery is keen to reunite with Jackson, having worked with him at Villarreal, where Jackson first rose to prominence. The Spanish side signed him from Casa Sports in Senegal in 2019, and his final season at Villarreal, which started under Emery, saw him score 12 times in 26 La Liga games.
The Daily Mail reports that Jackson is interested in moving to Villa Park to work with Emery again. While Aston Villa are interested and the player is open to the move, Chelsea's valuation of the player is likely to harm the chances of a deal.
Price tag and competition
The BBC reports that Chelsea have set a £65m asking price for the forward, which seems steep for a player who has failed to convince either Chelsea or Bayern that he should be in their teams. New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has left the door open for Jackson to impress him during the pre-season tour to Australia and Asia.
If Jackson moves to Aston Villa, he would have Champions League football, which Chelsea cannot offer, but would face stiff competition for a place in the starting XI. Ollie Watkins remains first choice up front for the Europa League winners, with Tammy Abraham also pushing for a place in Emery's team.
