Chelsea Sets £60 Million Price for Nicolas Jackson Amidst Transfer Interest

Chelsea have put a £60 million price tag on Nicolas Jackson as Tottenham and Aston Villa circle, with the fee emerging as the major stumbling block to any deal.

The 25-year-old striker is back at Stamford Bridge after a productive loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals in 34 games last season. Bayern, though, declined to trigger their option to buy at €65m (£55.5m), leaving Jackson’s future back in Chelsea’s hands.

This summer has been busy for him already. Jackson featured four times for Senegal at the World Cup before reporting for pre-season under new head coach Xabi Alonso, who has been handed the final say on what happens next.

For now, Chelsea and Alonso are prepared to sell. According to RMC Sport, the club are open to moving Jackson on before the window closes, but only if their £60m valuation is met. That figure has immediately shaped the market.

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid have all registered interest. Each club needs attacking reinforcements; each club sees Jackson as a serious option. Yet the same report describes Chelsea’s asking price as the “main obstacle” blocking his exit, with suitors reluctant to go that high for a player still proving himself at the top level.

The tension around his situation was underlined at the weekend. Jackson was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their final pre-season friendly, a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge, as Alonso fine-tuned his plans without him.

Chelsea have already moved to refresh their forward line. Danny Welbeck has arrived from Brighton in a £5m deal, a low-cost addition who adds experience and depth up front.

Jackson is not the only striker in limbo. Liam Delap is also available, and he too was absent from the squad for the Real Sociedad game. Chelsea are ready to listen to offers and have set a £40m price for the 23-year-old, who joined from Ipswich Town for £30m last year.

Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas and already home to former Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, have made an approach for Delap as they look to strengthen in Serie A. The project is ambitious, the connection obvious.

Delap, though, has his sights on staying in England. His preference is a Premier League move, and that stance, combined with Chelsea’s valuation, will dictate where the next bid comes from.

Two strikers, two sizeable price tags, and a manager trying to reshape his attack. The clock is ticking on Chelsea’s window. Who blinks first: the buying clubs, or the team holding all the cards?