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Chelsea will welcome Nicolas Jackson back to the club this summer with their current intention being to allow Xabi Alonso to take a closer look at the striker before next season.
Sources within the Blues say Jackson is still highly regarded internally. It has also been reiterated that the primary reason the 24-year-old joined Bayern Munich on loan last season was due to a breakdown in his relationship with former head coach Enzo Maresca.
With Maresca no longer at Chelsea, there is now the possibility that Jackson will stay and play for Alonso. However, that is not set in stone, as the Blues have already received queries from several suitors in the Premier League and beyond for the Senegal scorer.
A sale cannot be entirely dismissed if an offer too good to turn down suddenly arrives, though the plan as of today is for Jackson to have his chance to impress Alonso, who officially begins work on July 1.
Chelsea’s new manager will initially have to survey Jackson from afar, with him representing Senegal at the World Cup starting on June 11.
Nicolas Jackson celebrates with Serge Gnabry after Bayern won the Bundesliga
Jackson endured a difficult relationship with boss Enzo Maresca, who has since left Chelsea
Sources have indicated Jackson would be willing to stay at Chelsea, but he is keen for his fair share of playing time. Jackson, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Emmanuel Emegha are the strikers currently on Chelsea’s books, which is expected to be too many, especially with no European football for sharing minutes next season.
Any final decision on Jackson and their other striker options will be made between Alonso and Chelsea’s sporting leadership team.
Working in Jackson’s favour is that he is also capable of being used on the wing if necessary, whereas Delap is more an out-and-out No 9.
Jackson scored 11 goals in 34 games in all competitions for Bayern over the last campaign. The German giants paid a significant fee to have him on loan for the campaign, totalling £14.3million. It would have cost them a further £56.2m to sign him permanently.
Chelsea signed Jackson for £32m from Villarreal in 2023, and he remains under contract until 2033.
