Newcastle United are the latest club to emerge as a suitor for Nicolas Jackson as the future of the Chelsea striker heats up this summer.
Nicolas Jackson, 24, is now a major talking point at Chelsea during the transfer window.
The Blues centre-forward has been largely unchallenged in the squad at Stamford Bridge across the past two seasons, but he now faces fresh competition from new signings Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
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Nicolas Jackson’s Chelsea career
Reports this week claim that there is a serious possibility that Jackson leaves Chelsea this summer amid interest from several clubs, including AC Milan.
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe during a Premier League match against Brighton.
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Newcastle United, Barcelona in race for Nicolas Jackson
According to CaughtOffside, Jackson’s future is in some doubt this summer, which is why numerous teams are looking at him.
Apparently, Chelsea are ‘expected’ to ask for around €50m (£43m) to sell their striker, who’s on a long-term contract that doesn’t expire until 2033.
The report claims that Barcelona are planning to hold talks over the idea of signing Jackson on loan. However, Premier League clubs Newcastle and Aston Villa also hold an interest in the Chelsea frontman.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a huge Jackson fan, even though he admits he divides opinion. The reality is that his all-round game is usually very impressive, but he can let himself down in the final third with his end product in the biggest moments.
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Meanwhile, Premier League legend Thierry Henry does rate Jackson. Back in June, Henry commented on Jackson: “He’s on his way to being that [the real deal] but it’s a long road.”
Nicolas Jackson during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Chelsea FC
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Why Nicolas Jackson should stay clear of Newcastle
Even though Newcastle are in a great spot right now under Eddie Howe’s management, qualifying for next season’s Champions League, Jackson would be making a mistake by moving to St James’ Park.
At the moment, Newcastle have one of the world’s elite centre-forwards in Alexander Isak. We are not sure anybody could arrive at their club and replace him in the XI.
We’re slightly surprised at reports that Chelsea could offload Jackson for as little as £43m, which could be a bargain for any buying club.
It would be great to see Jackson stay with the Blues and compete to keep his starting position. If speculation ramps up about a possible exit this summer, though, we would hope that the amount of interest could drive his asking price up a bit higher.