Newcastle are hoping to negotiate down the asking price of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, according to reports.
TEAMtalk claim that the Senegalese international’s current valuation is £70m, which is a figure that Chelsea feel is justified based on the sales of other strikers this summer.
However, the Magpies believe a deal worth £60m is possible and they are increasingly confident that Jackson will make the switch to St James’ Park after receiving positive signals from the player and his entourage.
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The 24-year-old is reportedly “eager” to join Eddie Howe’s side, with personal terms not expected to be an issue.
Jackson’s salary expectations are very reasonable
Despite their lavish spending in recent years, Chelsea don’t offer high salaries to their players, with Jackson having signed a £100,000 a week, 8-year deal last year.
That easily puts him within Newcastle’s current wage structure, with the club’s highest earner, Bruno Guimaraes, taking home £160,000 a week.
Jackson could be offered a substantial increase on his current salary and still be below Guimaraes on the wage bill. From a financial perspective, a move for the Senegalese forward makes a lot of sense.
Newcastle fans would be unhappy if he is signed to replace Isak
Having seemingly missed out on Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United, many supporters will feel very disappointed if Jackson is being lined up to succeed Alexander Isak.
There are justifiable concerns about his consistency in front of goal. He has scored 30 in 81 appearances for Chelsea, which gives him an average of a goal every 2.7 matches. That pales in comparison to Isak’s 1 in 1.76.
Jackson’s indiscipline is also a problem. During his two seasons at Stamford Bridge, he has picked up 18 bookings and 2 red cards, which is a very high total for a forward.
In other news, Newcastle have been told to sign a Liverpool flop to replace Isak