Aston Villa in ‘pole position’ to agree Nicolas Jackson deal after Chelsea ‘green light’
Nicolas Jackson is expected to leave Chelsea before the end of the transfer window as Unai Emery tries to bring him to Aston Villa, sources have told Football Insider.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealed what sources have told him about Villa’s pursuit of the out-of-favour Blues frontman.
Football Insider revealed on 22 August that Aston Villa won’t be able to meet Jackson’s £60million price tag at Stamford Bridge, but Emery remains hopeful that he can seal a reunion with his former charge.
New signings Liam Delap and Joao Pedro have superseded Jackson in the pecking order at Chelsea, and his future is increasingly uncertain with Newcastle and Aston Villa locked in a multi-club race to sign him.
Jackson’s wages of £100,000 per week are not out of the question for Villa, and Football Insider sources have said that Emery’s connection with the 24-year-old could give his side the advantage in that race.
Sources have told Football Insider that Emery and Jackson‘s relationship remains a good one, and those links could prove crucial to Villa’s hopes of signing the striker if they return with a new and improved bid.
Unai Emery exploiting Nicolas Jackson relationship to accelerate Villa deal
Football Insider revealed on 15 August that Jackson has told friends of his desire to join Aston Villa this summer, placing the onus on Emery and the club’s hierarchy to meet Chelsea‘s price tag of £60m.
Speaking on the new Inside Track podcast, O’Rourke said Jackson is likely to be on the move before the end of the transfer window, with those Emery links set to be crucial for Villa’s chances of signing him.
“There’ll be a number of clubs looking at Nicolas Jackson in the last days of the transfer window”, he told Football Insider.
“He’s out of favour at Chelsea, well down the pecking order, they have given him the green light to go, and there’s obvious links between Jackson and Unai Emery.
“Emery gave [Jackson] his La Liga debut at Villarreal, the two of them both have a good relationship, and Emery is hoping that will give his team the advantage as they follow up their interest in Jackson.
“It’s a deal they are working on and an agreement is a high possibility. Villa are in pole position.”
Aston Villa face painful reality in Nicolas Jackson chase
Chelsea will be in no rush to bring Jackson’s price tag down below £60m having already reduced the striker’s asking price, and that means Villa will have to raise funds in order to meet the Blues’ demands.
Aston Villa have already been squeezed into the sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle as PSR concerns threaten to bite in B6, and Ollie Watkins could follow him out the door to free up a spot for Jackson.
Watkins‘ potential exit would leave a huge hole to fill in Emery’s frontline, but if it allows Villa to shell out the £60m fee required, the Spaniard may see Jackson as an upgrade on Villa’s talismanic frontman.