Chelsea could be poised to negotiate a deal with another Premier League side after this weekend’s Club World Cup final. The west Londoners will go up against Paris Saint-Germain as they look to lift their second trophy under Enzo Maresca. They wrapped up the previous campaign by winning the Conference League and now find themselves one game away from more silverware.
It has also been a busy summer for the Blues in the transfer market, having made a number of expensive signings. The likes of Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens and Mamadou Sarr have all moved to Stamford Bridge since the end of last season. Chelsea also signed Liam Delap from relegated Ipswich Town after triggering his £30million release clause.
The additions of Pedro and Delap will provide more firepower and it seems one of their existing stars could be about to make way. Nicolas Jackson faces the prospect of slipping down the pecking order with his future at Chelsea highly uncertain.
There is a strong possibility that he could leave the club in the coming weeks, according to Fabrizio Romano. The situation is believed to be ‘getting serious’ and there is said to be ‘concrete’ interest from unnamed Premier League clubs.
AC Milan have also taken a liking to Jackson, with senior figures at the San Siro ‘dreaming’ of a move. Other reports have suggested that Chelsea would be prepared to accept offers between £47m and £51m.
They paid a reported £32m to sign the forward from Villarreal two years ago, meaning they would make a profit of at least £15m if another team matches their asking price.
Earlier in the window, it was claimed that Chelsea had no interest in selling Jackson but their stance now appears to have changed. It remains to be seen where he will go, with several clubs thought to be weighing up potential bids.
Alan Shearer recently said he would not be surprised if Jackson leaves Stamford Bridge this summer, given the improvements Chelsea have made up front.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: “I don’t know, am I playing devil’s advocate here in thinking Jackson may be the one?
“That wouldn’t surprise me if he was sold to [another club], whether in our country or not. They have got some serious options in every forward position.”
Jackson scored 10 goals in the Premier League last season, averaging one for every three appearances. He also bagged three goals in as many matches during Chelsea’s successful run to the Conference League title.
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