Aston Villa are stepping up their efforts to sign Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson if they can make the finances work.
Unai Emery’s side are cautious of overstepping the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) this summer as the manager seeks to refine his squad.
Last week saw Villa sell academy graduate Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle in a bid to keep in line with regulations, just one month after the club were fined £9.5m for breaching UEFA’s financial rules.
Tyrone Mings and John McGinn both shared cryptic messages on social media in the wake of the sale which suggested that there may have been some unwillingness on both Ramsey and the club’s behalf to end their partnership.
But change is set to continue apace at Villa Park ahead of the transfer window closing in September.
Chelsea are similarly motivated to get a number of deals done over the next two weeks, with Jackson among the nine players that Maresca is keen to offload to trim his overflowing squad.
Nicolas Jackson is under strong consideration at Aston Villa as he prepares to leave Chelsea
Jackson previously worked with Unai Emery at LaLiga outfit Villarreal (pictured in 2022)
Man City
Tottenham
*18+, excludes NI. Terms and conditions apply
Jackson is valued at over £60m and Villa initially asked about a loan with options to buy.
But the Villans have been interested in the Senegal star for some time, with Emery having previously worked with the striker during his time at Villarreal in Spain.
At Stamford Bridge, Jackson has been pushed down the front-line pecking order with the arrival of flashy summer purchases Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, with the 23-year-old absent entirely from Maresca’s first squad to face Crystal Palace last Sunday.
His move comes less than a year after signing a bumper nine-year contract extension – one season on from his Blues debut – designed to keep him at the club until 2033.
Jackson scored 17 goals in his debut Premier League season and 10 in his second, but his at-times erratic playing style and hot-headedness drew as much criticism as praise he received from his manager.
