Chelsea in talks over £30m deal for Nicolas Jackson as Victor Osimhen alternative
Exclusive: The 21-year-old has caught the eye of new manager Mauricio Pochettino as an alternative to Victor Osimhen
helsea have stepped up their search for a new striker and held talks over a move for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson.
The Blues want to bolster their frontline for new head coach Mauricio Pochettino and have identified 21-year-old Senegal international Jackson as a summer target.
Jackson finished the season in blistering form for Villarreal, scoring nine goals in eight La Liga matches to catch the attention of clubs around Europe.
Chelsea met his representatives last week to discuss a potential move.
He is set to be available for around £30million this summer, making him a cheaper alternative to £100m-rated Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Chelsea know it will not be easy to get Osimhen out of Napoli, who do not want to sell the Nigerian after he led them to the Serie A title this season.
Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund and Juventus frontman Dusan Vlahovic are regarded as alternative options by Chelsea. Both players are valued at more than £65m by their Italian clubs.
Kylian Mbappe is up for sale after his fall-out with Paris Saint-Germain but Chelsea are not expected to move for him, as Premier League rivals consider a move for the France captain.
Real Madrid are favourites to sign Mbappe, who has informed PSG he will not renew his contract beyond the end of next season, when he becomes a free agent.
PSG want will demand a transfer fee of more £150m for Mbappe this summer and the 24-year-old earns a reported £893,000 a week, more than double any player in the Premier League.
Target: Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic
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It is unlikely that Mbappe will move to England, but Manchester United could emerge as an option for him should Qatari royal Sheikh Jassim complete his takeover at Old Trafford.
Sheikh Jassim hopes to complete a takeover deal worth around £5billion, and a move for Mbappe (below, right) would send out a clear message about his ambition to challenge Manchester City’s dominance.
United are also in the market for a striker and could provide competition to Chelsea over their targets, with a move for Harry Kane looking increasingly unlikely.
Tottenham remain adamant they will not sell Kane to a Premier League rival and United do not want to get into a drawn-out transfer saga this summer.
Chelsea must operate with some caution in the transfer market after spending more than £600m since they were taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake last summer. They are on a UEFA watchlist over their finances and have already agreed to pay £50m to sign Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, while they also want a new goalkeeper and a new midfielder as Pochettino begins his rebuild at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea first need to sell players to help balance the books and reduce the size of their squad.
Romelu Lukaku is expected to push to leave this summer. He wants to stay at Inter Milan after spending this season on loan at the Serie A club. Lukaku has also been offered a £16m-a-year deal to move to Saudi Arabia, though he is reluctant to up sticks and go there.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is up for sale and is expected to leave this summer. He is attracting interest from Barcelona, Inter, AC Milan, Besiktas and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Kai Havertz was attracting interest from Real Madrid, but Chelsea’s £75m asking price and Mbappe’s availability have halted any talks. Armando Broja is recovering from a knee injury and hopes to be back for the start of pre-season training on July 1.
Chelsea are set for talks for top goalkeeper target Andre Onana in the coming days, while Brighton’s Moises Caicedo or Southampton’s Romeo Lavia are midfield targets.