European giants to scrap it out for another forward as Chelsea star deemed ‘no longer untouchable’
The future of one of the Premier League’s most frustrating strikers is in doubt but interest from a pair of Italian titans could help him land on his feet.
Chelsea are reportedly open to offers for Nicolas Jackson, who scored 24 Premier League goals in his first two seasons in England but left fans wondering whether 40 might have been a more appropriate return for the chances that came his way.
24-year-old Jackson is blessed with obvious talent but seems to have struggled to find his best form under the weight of being Chelsea’s leading man since joining the West London club from Villarreal in 2023.
The Senegal international has time on his side and has shown what he can do in the Premier League but is ‘no longer untouchable’ in terms of a transfer away from Stamford Bridge, according to reports.
Jackson has been sent off in two of his last four Chelsea appearances, first for violent conduct in the last Premier League game against Newcastle United and, on his birthday, for serious foul play four minutes after coming on as a substitute in a defeat to Flamengo in Gianni Infantino’s Club World Cup.
He scored in the Conference League final between those two straight red cards, demonstrating the performance rewards that come with the disciplinary risks of relying heavily on Jackson.
Jackson certainly picked his moment. After having an almost free run at the centre-forward role at Stamford Bridge for the better part of two years, the signing of England Under-21 striker Liam Delap has given him some fresh competition to worry about.
Giving Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca doubts about his reliability mightn’t be the smartest move and Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Blues could be open to dealing with Juventus and Napoli, who are both apparently keen on the former Villarreal youngster.
“Juventus, who are looking for a striker with [his] characteristics, have sounded him out and have already had exploratory talks,” says Di Marzio.
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“Napoli, on the other hand, have been informed about the situation but are still working mainly on [Darwin] Nunez and [Lorenzo] Lucca” of Liverpool and Udinese respectively.
Jackson has played 64 times in the Premier League since joining Chelsea but could perhaps be tempted to head for Serie A in the knowledge that Delap is about to cut a massive swathe through his playing time in England.
The Italian champions and their Serie A rivals from Turin are also reportedly fighting it out for the services of winger Jadon Sancho, who spent the 2024-25 season with Jackson while on loan at Chelsea from Manchester United.
Sancho is also believed to be of interest to Aston Villa, where he would link up with Jackson’s former Villarreal manager Unai Emery.
And they say football is a small world.
