Villareal forward Nicolas Jackson has completed his medical ahead of a move to Chelsea. Personal terms are not seen to be an issue, but the Senegal forward’s Villarreal contract contains a €35 million (£30.1 million) release clause. Jackson was set to join Bournemouth for £22.5 million in January, but the 22-year-old failed his physical due to a hamstring issue. Jackson has become a prominent target for Chelsea this summer as they try to upgrade their front line after previously signing Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig in Germany. Jackson scored 13 goals and contributed five assists for Villarreal in all competitions last season; a formal announcement of his transfer to Stamford Bridge is anticipated in the coming days.
In an effort to address the goal-scoring difficulties that have made Diego Costa the club’s last striker to score 20 goals in a season—and that was six years ago—Chelsea is in serious need of bringing in a new No 9 this summer. The need to improve Chelsea’s front line was exacerbated last season when no player scored more than nine goals and the team dropped to 12th place in the Premier League. Nicolas Jackson, though, is hardly the standout name that many Chelsea fans would have hoped for this summer.
The 22-year-old, who has one Senegal cap, was only given a full-time promotion to Villarreal’s first squad last season; else, he would have joined Bournemouth in January. Given Jackson’s poor record of just three goals in his first 18 La Liga games of the season, it seems doubtful that Chelsea would have entertained the idea of signing him during the last transfer window. He scored nine goals in his final eight games to help Villarreal qualify for the Europa League, though, as he suddenly came alive in crunch time.
Jackson fared well compared to Chelsea’s attackers during the 2022–23 season, finishing first for goals and major chances scored per 90. This was due to his outstanding form towards the conclusion of the season. While Jackson’s statistics for possession wins and completed passes compare unfavorably to the offensive players currently at Stamford Bridge, it must be noted that none of Chelsea’s strikers performed to their projected standards last season.
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