Aston Villa and Chelsea are on the cusp of reaching an agreement over a deal for 25-year-old Senegalese international Nicolas Jackson.
According to an update from French journalist Santi Aouna, Aston Villa submitted a bid worth €70 million to Chelsea, hoping to seal a deal for Nicolas Jackson in the final days of the ongoing transfer window. The Villans are keen on reinforcing their offensive unit by signing a striker, and they have their sights set on the 25-year-old out-of-favour Chelsea forward.
Per Santi Aouna, while an agreement between Chelsea and Aston Villa is close, the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League winners have yet to receive an approval from the player. A report by French outlet Foot Mercato has shed more light, revealing that Atletico Madrid also wanted to sign Jackson, albeit on loan, an arrangement Chelsea did not prefer.
Nicolas Jackson and his search for stability
Nicolas Jackson has experienced a mixed spell since his July 2023 arrival at Chelsea from Villarreal for €37 million. While the 25-year-old was impressive in his first two seasons with the West London club, his situation changed after they signed Joao Pedro and Liam Delap last summer. He subsequently spent the 2025/26 season with Bayern Munich on a season-long loan deal.
The Senegalese international was a backup option for Die Roten, recording 11 goals and 4 assists in 1,320 minutes of game time. His tally is proof that he is a capable striker, even in a secondary role, making him an attractive prospect for his prospective suitors. Jackson has not completed a permanent move to Bayern Munich, and he will never play again for Chelsea, with the West London club eager to part ways with him after signing Danny Welbeck this year.
What next?
Nicolas Jackson has been on Aston Villa’s wishlist for several months. The continued interest is logical, as the Villans are worried about Ollie Watkins’s long-term future. The veteran English centre-forward is a target for Al-Hilal, and recent reports have claimed that he wants to move to the Saudi Pro League.
The situation has become tense over the past week, with Unai Emery’s comments when pressed on the Englishman’s absence from the matchday squad for the game between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League opener stoking the fires of widespread speculation. So, the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League winners have been pushing to sign Jackson.
Meanwhile, the report by Foot Mercato corroborates recent suggestions of Chelsea’s price, revealing that the West London club wanted €75 million to part ways with Jackson. With Aston Villa coming close to that valuation, all that now remains is to convince the Senegalese international to move to Birmingham.
