Another twist in Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson transfer situation: Check out
What's the story
Chelsea FC striker Nicolas Jackson is in a position of the unknown. The Blues had initially sanctioned a £13 million loan deal with the striker on his way to Bayern Munich. Thereafter, Chelsea canceled the deal after Liam Delap got injured in the match against Fulham. Enzo Maresca said he needs another striking option with Delap out. However, a new scenario has now shaped up. Here we decode the same.
Twist
Chelsea keen to sell Jackson, approach Sporting for Conrad Harder
As per BBC Sport, Chelsea want to offload Jackson for good and replace him with Sporting CP's Conrad Harder. The report adds that Chelsea have asked Bayern Munich to make a permanent offer for Jackson, who was supposed to undergo medical tests at Bayern for an initial loan with an option to buy him next summer. Chelsea are pushing Bayern to renegotiate for a permanent deal. Notably, Jackson, who was supposed to return back to London, is still in Germany.
Options
What are the options for Chelsea?
Chelsea's preferred option is to sign Harder while offloading Jackson. However, this depends on agreeing on a fee and convincing the 20-year-old Danish international to join Chelsea. Alternatively, Marc Guiu could be recalled from his loan spell at Sunderland if both clubs agree. If Bayern don't go ahead with a permanent move, there is also a chance that Jackson could be recalled by Chelsea before Monday's transfer window deadline at 19:00 BST.
Loan
Chelsea cancel Nicolas Jackson loan deal with Bayern
On Saturday, Chelsea pulled out of a proposed loan deal for Jackson to Bayern Munich. The decision was made after Delap suffered a hamstring injury during Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday. The injury is expected to keep Delap out of action for several weeks, creating a shortage upfront. Notably, the two clubs had agreed upon a £13m record loan fee. Jackson was already on his way to Germany before being called back.
Maresca
Maresca's thoughts on the striker situation
After the match against Fulham, Chelsea's head coach Maresca expressed his need for another forward. He said that relying solely on Joao Pedro up front would not be enough. "When you have two strikers, it's enough. When one is injured, it probably is not enough," Maresca said after the game. Delap is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks as confirmed by Maresca.
Bayern
Bayern had agreed a loan deal
Bayern had accepted a record loan fee of £13 million as mentioned. The deal included a buy option clause, not mandatory, for Bayern to buy Jackson. As per Sky Sports News, the fee in this regard would be £56.2 million, taking the total package worth up to £70 million, matching Chelsea's valuation of the player. After negotiations on Friday night, Chelsea accepted the offer on Saturday morning. The club opted for an option to buy instead of an obligation.
Contract
Chelsea changed priorities despite having Jackson sign contract extension
Jackson signed a contract extension with Chelsea until 2033 in September 2024. Jackson signed a two-year contract extension after he had greed to extend the eight-year deal he signed when joining from Villarreal in 2023. This long-term commitment had highlighted the club's faith in his potential and future contributions to the team. However, with Maresca going for Delap and then Pedro, this led to Jackson being out of the project and his future was always away from Stamford Bridge.