Bayern Munich reportedly used a sneaky trick to help get Nicolas Jackson’s rollercoaster loan move from Chelsea over the line.
In one of the summer’s most hectic moves, Jackson eventually joined Bayern for a loan fee of £14.2million, with a whopping obligation to buy of £56.2m if he hits a reported appearance quota.
Chelsea tried to cancel the loan over the weekend after Liam Delap’s injury against Fulham, but the striker refused to return to London as his agent and Bayern worked desperately to schmooze the Blues.
Agent Ali Barat vowed to ‘fight with everything I have’ to get the move over the line, and eventually Chelsea caved in and let him go, two years after he joined for £32m.
Jackson has his work cut out to hit his appearance allocation – Harry Kane leads the line, after all – but the exits of Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, and Mathys Tel have opened up an array of opportunities across the front line.
According to Bild, Bayern had Jackson complete his medical on Monday morning, before Chelsea had given the green light or reached an agreement, to streamline the process.
Bayern Munich reportedly did Nicolas Jackson’s medical before they had agreed his move
Jackson has left Chelsea on loan, but his switch could become permanent for a total of £70.4m
Vincent Kompany needed another attacker through the door after losing several this winodow
Bayern only managed to confirm Jackson’s arrival late on Monday, and getting the medical out of the way early, before any agreement, could have been a deal-saving ploy.
Personal terms have been installed for a five-year stay at the Allianz Arena should Jackson’s switch be made permanent.
‘I’m really happy to now be part of this great club,’ said Jackson. ‘Bayern is one of the best clubs in the world.
‘Everyone knows the names of the legends who’ve played here and knows that this club stands for the greatest success.
‘I’ve got big goals and dreams here and will give my all to help Bayern win further titles.’
As well as Kane, Jackson links up with Luis Diaz and Michael Olise as part of the ex-Premier League contingent at Bayern.
The Senegalese striker faced persistent questions over his suitability at Stamford Bridge, but across 81 outings managed a respectable haul of 31 goals.
He only joined Chelsea as a 22-year-old after a prolific half-season with Villarreal and went on to win the Club World Cup and Conference League, scoring in the final of the latter.
Jackson’s opportunities looked limited at Chelsea after a busy summer for Enzo Maresca
Chelsea had spent the last month searching for a new home for Jackson after bringing in Delap and Joao Pedro amid a significant summer of trading.
Delap’s injury, described as ‘not good’ by Maresca, may have left them short in the striker position.
They can also use Tyrique George, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian up top, but none are true No 9s.
Rather than being sent to train with the ‘bomb squad’ at Cobham, Jackson had been training with Maresca’s first team over the last month in case he stayed.
