Chelsea are edging towards the signing of Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson after agreeing to pay more than the Spanish club’s asking price.
The 22-year-old striker has emerged as a key target for the Blues this summer as they attempt to revamp their forward line. Christopher Nkunku has already arrived from German side RB Leipzig.
Jackson looks set to follow him to Stamford Bridge with a move on the verge of completion. He is set to fly to London over the coming days to finalise his switch, where he will put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Blues.
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have actually agreed to pay more than the €35m (£30.1m) release clause written into his contract in order to negotiate favourable payment terms with the Spanish side. Despite that, the Blues still appear to have secured a bargain, according to Villarreal’s CEO Roig Negueroles.
He has claimed that the striker could be worth potentially double that fee later in his career. “Jackson is a player with great potential, and he may be worth £70m in the future,” he told AS.
“Now this is the contract that he has and the clause that he has, and I don’t think that amounts like that should be underestimated.”
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Jackson will move to Stamford Bridge off the back of the most prolific season of his career so far. He netted 13 goals and provided five assists in all competitions for Villarreal last term after breaking through into the first-term the season prior.
Speaking about his performances, Negueroles added: “He’s been very impressive, although being a forward who scores so many goals creates so much more of an impact.
“He was a player whose potential we saw but who we knew was lacking goals, like he had in the academy. What he has done these last 10 games has been spectacular, and in a way unexpected.”
Jackson’s arrival is just the latest in a huge rebuilding job at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino. Up to 11 first-team players could be bidding farewell to West London before the end of the window, including forwards Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Meanwhile, there is also a decision to make over the future of youngster David Datro Fofana. The 20-year-old Ivorian only arrived from Molde in January, penning a six-and-a-half year deal in the process.
He made just four appearances during his debut campaign as a Chelsea player and is expected to leave on loan this summer. Elsewhere, Joao Felix has also returned to Atletico Madrid at the end of his own loan spell with little sign that the Blues will pursue a permanent deal for the Portuguese forward.
