Chelsea’s position on Nicolas Jackson has pushed his next move into the open. The club want a permanent sale and will not sanction another loan, while Aston Villa, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham have all been linked with him in the same window. TEAMtalk says Jackson is expected to leave Chelsea before the window closes.
Chelsea's stance on Jackson
Fabrizio Romano said the deal structure is settled from Chelsea’s side. “So, it's going to be a big battle for the Senegal striker, but for sure leaving Chelsea on a permanent deal. Chelsea are not loaning the player permanent or nothing. This is Chelsea's position and so let's follow this one together.”
That gives the chase a clear shape. Chelsea are not trying to hold the player on a short-term arrangement, so any interested club has to build a full transfer around him. Jackson’s numbers explain why the interest has not been thin either: he has 30 goals and 12 assists in 81 appearances for Chelsea, and he scored 11 goals on loan at Bayern in 34 appearances.
The clubs in the race
Romano added that Villa are pushing because Ollie Watkins is very close to joining Al-Hilal Saudi FC, while Atletico are also trying for Jackson and are prepared to make a big financial sacrifice. The Atletico side of it is not new either, because Chelsea previously rejected a loan offer for Jackson from the Spanish club.
The Villa angle has been the most obvious one to track because of Unai Emery’s previous work with Jackson at Villarreal. Atletico’s interest sits alongside the Julian Alvarez situation, with Jackson viewed as a possible part of that attacking reshuffle. Tottenham, meanwhile, remain in the mix as the market tightens around a striker Chelsea clearly want to move on permanently.
The fee talk around Jackson has varied, with reports pointing to figures around £60m and around £65m. Whatever number is used, the key point is the same: Chelsea are not open to a loan, and the three interested clubs now have to decide whether they can put together a permanent deal before the window shuts.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →
