Chelsea are closing in on their second summer signing after agreeing personal terms with Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson as Mauricio Pochettino looks to bolster his squad, according to The Athletic.
The Blues have already agreed a deal with RB Leipzig for highly-rated forward Christopher Nkunku and the France international will join his new teammates this summer as he begins life at Stamford Bridge.
Nkunku is regarded as one of the best forwards in Germany following his goal-scoring exploits for Leipzig, having joined them from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. He netted 11 times and provided four assists for the Ligue 1 prior to his move to the Bundesliga.
The 25-year-old scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 172 games for The Red Bulls in all competitions, helping the club to win two consecutive DFB-Pokal titles. Last season, he racked up 36 appearances across all competitions, scored 26 goals, and provided nine assists as they finished third in the league table.
His arrival is expected to boost the frontline of Chelsea, however, Pochettino is keen on bringing in another attacker to complement his forward players and Jackson has emerged as a prime target.
The Athletic claims the Senegal international has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is keen on moving to Stamford Bridge to play under Pochettino – who has a track record of improving young talents to become world-class players.
Attacking reinforcement
According to The Athletic, Jackson has a release clause of £30m (€35m), and the West Londoners are set to open formal negotiations with Villarreal for the signing of the 21-year-old.
Chelsea have been linked with several forwards including Neymar, Wilfried Zaha, Sadio Mane, Victor Osimhen, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Dusan Vlahovic, and Lautaro Martinez but Jackson could represent a cheaper option.
The Senegalese represented the African champions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where he made his debut and went on to make a further appearance as Aliou Cisse’s side exited the competition at the round of 16, losing 3-0 to England.
He scored 13 goals and recorded five assists in 38 appearances for Villarreal in all competitions last season. A move to Chelsea could help Jackson’s progress as a forward but we will have to wait and see how this move develops in the coming weeks with the transfer window officially opened.
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