Chelsea could agree cut-price striker deal – ‘asking price to drop by £40m’
Chelsea could be set to agree a cut-price deal in order to sell one of their unwanted stars this summer.
The Blues have been incredibly active so far in the transfer market, as they look to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, and Jamie Gittens are just three of the signings Enzo Maresca’s side have made ahead of the upcoming campaign.
As a result of the incomings, the future of striker Nicolas Jackson looks uncertain, with a move away from Stamford Bridge a real possibility.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Chelsea will have to drop their asking price to sell the Senegal international.
‘Chelsea would be lucky to get £60m for Jackson’
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Chelsea would be lucky to get £60million for Jackson, let alone the £100m they are currently asking for.
Man United are reportedly interested in making a move for the 24-year-old, as are Newcastle United.
Wyness added that he does think Jackson will leave Chelsea this summer, but could join a side outside of the Premier League.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Here’s an example of Chelsea looking at the market and they’re saying that Jackson’s got more Premier League experience than Ekitike. So if Ekitike is worth £79m, then Jackson’s worth £100m.
“It’s simplistic thinking and I don’t happen to agree with it, but Chelsea are in no rush to sell, there’s no need for them to sell.
“I do think they will offload Jackson; they may look to offload him outside the Premier League, and they may have a buyback clause because he did not set the league on fire last year. He’s certainly not a £100m player.
“I think that they’d be lucky to get £60m to £70m. That’s what the data guys have to work through, and they have to prove me wrong on that, but that would be my opinion as a chief executive. I’d be arguing with them a lot about this right now.”
Chelsea fire sale intensifies
Meanwhile, Chelsea are launching a fire sale as they prepare to sell players before they sign more players, sources have told Football Insider.
The Blues are currently under UEFA sanctions, which require them to balance out their transfer outlay with player sales in order for them to register new signings for the Champions League next season.
Sources say that the West London side are aiming to offload some of their fringe players to raise funds and avoid further punishment.
If Chelsea can find buyers for enough of the unwanted members of their squad, then they could still go back into the transfer market to bolster their ranks further.
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