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When Chelsea signed Joao Pedro at the beginning of July, one question, largely from non-Blues supporters, was particularly prominent. Why so many forwards?
At the time, Chelsea already had eight attacking options at their disposal in the newly-signed Liam Delap, as well as Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu and Tyrique George. A deal to sign Jamie Gittens, who could end up costing the club £55million in total (if add-ons are met), was also agreed.
Gittens and Joao Pedro joined a vastly deep pool of attacking players. However, there were always plans to offload a few. At the time of writing, Madueke and Guiu have departed (the former on a permanent deal and the latter on loan) and there could be at least a couple more on their way out of Stamford Bridge before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Jackson, Nkunku and George are the ones strongly linked with moves away from west London. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, football.london understands, are both in the race to sign Nkunku, who wants to leave Chelsea this summer as he hunts regular first team football.
George, while thought very highly of at Chelsea, is too looking for consistent football and with the seemingly inevitable signing of Alejandro Garnacho and the less-inevitable-but-still-likely arrival of Xavi Simons, the Cobham graduate's pathway will have more obstacles on it.
One of the sagas of the summer, though, is Jackson, who has made it clear he wishes to explore a move away from the club. The 24-year-old striker was left out of the squad for both of the Blues' pre-season friendlies earlier in the month and missed the opening day draw with Crystal Palace because of suspension. The truth is, though, that he was unlikely to be named on the bench even if he was eligible.
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Chelsea's stance this summer regarding Jackson has more or less stayed the same: the club are not actively looking to sell the Senegalese forward but if they were to receive an offer they deem appropriate for his services, then they will not stand in his way. football.london was told last month by sources close to the club that Chelsea wanted to enter the 2025/26 season with two out-and-out No.9s in the squad and one versatile forward.
Delap and Joao Pedro, who could cost Chelsea a total of £90million should the relevant add-ons be triggered, are the other options. Jackson and Delap are the more traditional centre-forwards, while Joao Pedro can play virtually all over the front line. The Brazilian was given his shot to impress during the latter stages of the FIFA Club World Cup and he passed with flying colours - something that has perhaps eased Chelsea's stance on Jackson this summer.
While Jackson and Chelsea's stances are perfectly clear, there is still no guarantee he will depart SW6 before the transfer window concludes. We are now into the final 11 days before the deadline and nothing is advanced in terms of the former Villarreal forward leaving the club he has been at since the summer of 2023.
Chelsea would happily keep Jackson, but the striker does not want to be second fiddle - or perhaps even third fiddle. The problem is, though, the Blues rate him so highly and will ask for an extortionate fee for his services; especially given Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko - all players in Jackson's position - have all moved for north of £65million during this transfer window.
Jackson is someone Chelsea believe has the potential to develop into a £100million player and that is why they will not allow him to leave in straightforward circumstances. And that is why we could see this one drag on to September 1.
Aston Villa are very interested in Jackson, football.london understands, but Unai Emery's side need to sell before they can buy. There is also interest from Newcastle United given the whole Alexander Isak transfer saga, but business with the Magpies has been difficult in this window due to a number of mitigating circumstances - not least because they do not currently have a sporting director in place at St. James' Park.
There is also interest from Italy, with multiple clubs making initial contact with the player's entourage, but there is an uncertainty over their financial power at the moment. A loan move is an option, though Chelsea would prefer a permanent deal if Jackson was indeed to leave.
It is certainly one that is not going away anytime soon. Jackson is hoping there is a resolution at some point this month otherwise he faces the worst-case scenario.
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