Nicolas Jackson in action for Senegal
Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign Nicolas Jackson for an initial £47.5m, according to David Ornstein.
Unai Emery has been personally pushing a deal to sign the Senegal international this summer, and a deal has emerged as more of a possibility in recent days after Ollie Watkins told the club he wants to leave amid strong interest from Al Hilal.
After agreeing personal terms earlier in the day with the 25-year-old forward, a club-to-club agreement has now been reached, and a deal is expected to be finalised in the coming days.
According to The Athletic, Aston Villa have agreed to pay an initial £47.5m to the Blues to sign Jackson, with a further £17.5m in add-ons taking the total value of the package up to £65m.
The initial £47.5m payment is understood to be paid upfront in one instalment, which is partly why Chelsea have agreed to the rest being in add-ons. It's unclear if the add-ons are considered to be easily achievable or not.
Aston Villa have already completed six signings this summer, bringing in Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Alejandro Garnacho, Matteo Ruggeri, Zion Suzuki, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while a deal has also been agreed for Germany international Leon Goretzka.
Chelsea signed Jackson in a deal worth £32m from Villarreal in 2023, and has scored 30 goals in 82 appearances for the club. But he spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored eight goals and registered two assists in 23 appearances in the Bundesliga as they lifted the title.
However, new Stamford Bridge boss Xabi Alonso has added Danny Welbeck to the squad behind Joao Pedro in the number nine position, while Emmanuel Emegha has also joined from Strasbourg in this window.
Jackson is now set to depart for Villa Park and reunite with Emery, with whom he worked at Villarreal, while Liam Delap is also set to join Nottingham Forest before the transfer deadline on September 1st.
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Jackson: I Owe Emery Everything
via Reuters
Jackson made his first-team debut in La Liga under Emery's management, and went on to have his breakout season in the same campaign that the Spaniard departed for Villa Park.
After joining Chelsea and having a strong debut season, he was handed a new contract at Stamford Bridge, and upon signing that deal he was quick to praise Emery for teaching him everything he knows.
"When I arrived from Senegal, I knew how to play, but I didn't understand how to run on the field.
"I was running like crazy, grabbing the ball, dribbling, creating my own moves.I think he changed everything and made me a different player."
The duo will now be reunited in the Midlands, with Jackson hungry to prove himself in England's top flight.