Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Nicolas Jackson with the club prepared to meet the Villarreal forward’s €35m release clause.
The west London side are discussing the instalments of a deal with Villarreal, after informing the Spanish side that Jackson’s release clause would be triggered.
The 21-year-old is understood to have agreed terms on a long-term deal at Chelsea with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the Blues are the player’s preferred destination, despite speculation of interest from Aston Villa and Bayern Munich.
Jackson has emerged as a target for clubs across Europe after a breakthrough season at Villarreal, having scored 12 goals in 26 La Liga appearances last season.
The forward made his international debut for Senegal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and now looks set to become Mauricio Pochettino’s first signing since becoming Chelsea’s head coach.
Jackson will improve Chelsea’s options in the final third after the club’s goalscoring issues in 2022/23. Chelsea scored just 38 goals in their 38 league games to end the Premier League season 12th and miss out on European qualification.
