Chelsea admit DEFEAT in €90m Nicolas Jackson transfer talks

Chelsea have been forced to budge from their initial asking price for Nicolas Jackson amid interest from Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

The Blues are looking to offload the Senegal international to fund further incomings. Enzo Maresca is not desperate to get rid of Jackson, but there is an acceptance that he is among the most valuable dispensable assets at the club.

Chelsea are still trying to sign Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho and need the funds that a sale of Jackson would make available. However, so far, talks have been slow to get going.

There is widespread interest in the 24-year-old, whose underlying numbers suggest that he could yet become an elite forward. The problem, though, is that Chelsea value Jackson in line with the going rate for top strikers, putting him in a similar price bracket as Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko.

So far, no club has come forward with a willingness to pay north of €90 million for the opinion-dividing attacker, which has forced Chelsea to reconsider their stance.

Aston Villa eye Jackson loan

According to The Athletic, Chelsea will likely accept a fee below their initial €90m+ asking price, although that does not necessarily mean that they will now suddenly sanction a cut-price deal.

This could be bad news for Aston Villa, who hold a concrete interest in Jackson. The Birmingham club’s offensive for him is spearheaded by his former Villarreal boss Unai Emery, under whom the striker received his first regular top-flight minutes.

At present, Villa are only able to sign Jackson on loan, which does not really work for Chelsea. According to Florian Plettenberg, Emery and company currently can’t spend more than €60m.

Villa’s summer has been marked by a constant struggle with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, as illustrated by the unpopular sale of homegrown midfielder Jacob Ramsey.

More English and European clubs are keen on Jackson, but the player is said to be favouring a reunion with Emery.

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