Villarreal star Nicolas Jackson could be on the verge of sealing a delayed Premier League move this month.
The Senegalese international has attracted a consistent stream of transfer attention from England with Bournemouth missing out on a move last summer after a failed medical.
However, that setback has not ended the interest of other clubs, with Chelsea now preparing a move, as part of their summer overhaul.
Mauricio Pochettino will be backed in the transfer window, as the Argentinian aims to revive the club, following a poor end to the 2022/23 season.
According to The Athletic’s transfer expert David Ornstein, Pochettino is prioritising a move for Jackson, with the details almost wrapped up.
Chelsea are prepared to activate Jackson’s €35m release clause and offer him a long term contract as Joao Felix heads back to Atletico Madrid.
Felix’s lack of consistency in West London could be contrasted by Jackson’s upward curve based on his haul of 12 La Liga goals last season.
Jackson played the majority of his games in 2023 as a central striker flanked by two quick wingers and Pcohettino will look to mirror that at Stamford Bridge.
COMPARED: Nicolas Jackson vs. Dušan Vlahović per 90 in the league during the 2022/23 season. 🕶 pic.twitter.com/IqpdPavrrN
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 16, 2023
Despite Chelsea’s wild spending in the last 12 months, they are still lacking a reliable finisher through the middle of their attack, with Kai Havertz tipped for a possible exit.
The centre forward role at Chelsea has often been a cursed position, in the post-Didier Drogba era, but time is on Jackson’s side, as he looks to test himself on a new level.
His La Liga strike rate last season registered at 0.69 per 90 minutes, only bettered by Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski.
That figure is stretched even further, as he finished No.1 for shots leading to goals in the Spanish top flight, with 0.29 of his strikes resulting in a goal.
These numbers will have Blues fans feeling confident of securing a striker, who is still raw enough to be moulded by Pochettino, but with the sharpness to find the back of the net on a regular basis.
