Chelsea Set £60 Million Price Tag on Nicolas Jackson Amid Transfer Interest

Chelsea have put a £60 million price tag on Nicolas Jackson as Tottenham and Aston Villa circle, with the fee emerging as the major stumbling block to any deal.

The 25-year-old striker is back at Stamford Bridge after a productive loan spell at Bayern Munich, where he hit 11 goals in 34 games. Bayern, despite winning the Bundesliga again, chose not to trigger the €65m (£55.5m) option to buy, sending Jackson back to London with his future unresolved.

World Cup duty with Senegal delayed that decision. Jackson featured four times at this summer’s tournament before rejoining Chelsea for pre-season, where new head coach Xabi Alonso has been handed the final call on what happens next.

Alonso and the club hierarchy are ready to cash in if the right offer arrives, according to RMC Sport. The benchmark is clear: £60m or nothing. That figure has not gone unnoticed across Europe. It has also not gone down well.

Tottenham, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are all credited with strong interest, but the valuation has been described as the “main obstacle” to an exit. Clubs are watching. No one has yet stepped up to meet Chelsea’s demand.

The tension around Jackson’s situation sharpened on Saturday. He was left out of the matchday squad entirely as Alonso’s side beat Real Sociedad 3-1 in their final pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge. A player of that value, absent on the eve of the season, sends a message.

Chelsea have already moved to reshape their forward line. Danny Welbeck arrived from Brighton earlier this month in a £5m deal, a low-cost addition who adds experience and depth. With Welbeck through the door and Jackson on the market, Alonso’s attack is being rebuilt in real time.

Jackson is not the only striker Chelsea are prepared to move on.

Liam Delap, also omitted from the squad for the Real Sociedad game, is available at the right price. Chelsea want £40m for the 23-year-old, having only signed him from Ipswich Town for £30m last year. It is a swift turnaround and a clear signal of how aggressively the club are managing their assets.

There is concrete interest. Serie A side Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas and already home to former Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah after his move earlier in the window, have made an approach for Delap. The project is ambitious, the connection obvious.

Delap, though, has his eyes on staying in England. His preference is a Premier League move, and that stance will test how far Chelsea’s valuation can stretch domestic suitors.

Two strikers, two hefty price tags, one clear theme: Chelsea are setting the terms. The question now is whether Tottenham, Aston Villa or anyone else will blink before the window closes.