The latest transfer news as Aston Villa eye a stunning Chelsea striker raid.
Aston Villa are reportedly keeping tabs on Nicolas Jackson this summer in case Chelsea decide to let the striker leave to make way for a marquee signing.
The Villans held a strong interest in Jackson before he sealed his £32 million transfer to Stamford Bridge in 2023 and could try to sign him again in the coming months.
Simon Phillips reports that there are a queue of clubs lining up to sign Jackson this summer and that Chelsea are willing to listen to offers. The Blues are not actively forcing Jackson to leave and the striker himself hasn’t signalled he wants an exit, but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he gets a transfer away.
Phillips names Villa, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan as four clubs with a serious interest in Jackson. It’s stated that any or all of those teams could develop their interest into a formal bid to try and tempt Chelsea into a sale.
Described as a ‘lethal attacking option’ by Caught Offside, Jackson has scored 10 or more goals in his first two seasons in the Premier League, netting exactly that in 30 games last term and contributing 14 goals in 25 matches the campaign before that. The Senegal international was effective on a European stage for Chelsea in 2024/25, too, as he netted three in three games on the way to the Blues’ Europa Conference League triumph.
Although Man Utd are said to be in the race for Jackson, Phillips’ report suggests the move to Old Trafford could be too pressured for the striker and that a transfer to Villa instead could be the best avenue to consider. Unai Emery wants a new centre-forward to compete with and rotate in for Ollie Watkins, after all, and Jackson is capable of playing on both wings if need be.
Emery, who worked with Jackson at Villarreal between 2020 and 2022, was behind Villa’s original push to sign the Senegalese. The Spanish head coach could request the interest be revived, though it could be an expensive transfer to complete because Chelsea, as mentioned before, aren’t exactly pushing Jackson out the door.
Aston Villa have already completed striker transfer
Now onto another attacking transfer and Villa have already finalised one deal, set to be completed at the start of next month. The Athletic reports Villa have agreed to sign Feyenoord wonderkid Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer in a boost to the club’s academy.
Redmond, who turns 19 later this month, made his Feyenoord debut in November of last year and is considered a huge talent by the Villa hierarchy. The Athletic’s report states Redmond was in Birmingham last week to conclude his contract details ahead of a move to Villa at the start of July.
The Villans have been eager to sign a new, up-and-coming striker ever since Jhon Duran left for Al-Nassr in a mega £67 million deal. As the controversial Colombian was such a success story, Villa are trying again to find emerging talent they can either utilise in the first team or sell on for a mega profit in the future.
Continue Reading