Aston Villa have made Chelsea outcast Nicolas Jackson their priority signing for the remainder of the transfer window, talkSPORT understands.
Unai Emery worked with the Senegalese forward at Villarreal, and he is keen to be reunited with the striker.
Villa’s change in priorities follows fellow Premier League side Newcastle United having a look at the striker.
Newcastle aren’t the only side to register an interest in the striker, with AC Milan also having a look, and despite Villa making him a top target, the Toon and Milan haven’t gone anywhere, while Bayern Munich can’t be discounted.
The Magpies are struggling to get a deal for Yoane Wissa concluded after seeing a £40million bid rejected by Brentford, and the player has returned to first-team training.
Chelsea currently value Jackson at around £80million, but any club looking to sign the forward will be hoping for a fee closer to £60m.
But the Blues are expected to use the fees of other players this summer as a guide, meaning there might be little wiggle room.
Villa are in a tight spot with PSR, so a hefty fee could pose a problem.
Instead, they are looking at various solutions.
One of those includes a loan with obligation to buy, which the London giants are reluctant to sanction due to the fact they consider Villa rivals for the Champions League places this year.
And if they were to allow Jackson to leave on loan, Chelsea would want a £10million fee.
Chelsea see Morgan Rogers as a dream target, though Villa have deemed him untouchable this summer.
The Blues are still trying to get a deal for Xavi Simons done, but talkSPORT understands they are struggling to agree a fee with RB Leipzig.
Meanwhile, Jackson accepts his time at Stamford Bridge is over and wants a move.
Is this the end for Jackson?
Jackson’s time at Chelsea is all but over, but he has a very strong chance of remaining in the Premier League.
The striker didn’t play either of the Blues’ two pre-season games, while he was nowhere to be seen during the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend.
Enzo Maresca has added Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to his forward line this summer, seeing Jackson and Christopher Nkunku get frozen out.
Ahead of the Blues’ game against West Ham live on talkSPORT on Friday night, Maresca confirmed that Jackson was fit but wouldn’t play.
He said: “He is available, but he’s not going to be part of the squad because, as we already said, we have two strikers, we have two players in that position and also we know that something can happen before the transfer window closes.”
He was then asked if a transfer was close.
“No idea, to be honest. No idea.
“You know already from last season that I prefer to be focused on training sessions, prepare the game and these kind of things. I don’t know.”
But Scott Minto believes he would be a good addition.
Speaking on The Transfer Insiders, he said “I like Nicolas Jackson.
“He’s strong. He’s quick. He can run the channels, and he can have defenders hanging off him as well by bringing the ball down and playing it inside.
“The relationship [he had] with Cole Palmer was a very good one, so I like him. He’s still raw.
“He runs offside too much and his composure in front of goal [isn’t great], but his numbers are still not bad.
“In terms of Aston Villa, I think it would be great for Aston Villa.”
The 24-year-old joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 from Villarreal in a deal worth £32m.
In his time leading the line at Stamford Bridge, he has scored ten or more Premier League goals in each season.
The criticism levelled at him is that he misses too many chances, while he’s also struggled with his discipline in recent months having been sent off during a defeat to then Champions League chasing rivals Newcastle.
Jackson was also red carded during Chelsea’s defeat to Flamengo in the Club World Cup in June.
However, time is running out in the transfer window, so it remains to be seen if anyone gets a deal for Jackson wrapped up.