Newcastle United and Aston Villa in picture as club ask ‘ridiculous fee’ of €90m

Aston Villa and Newcastle United are still keeping tabs on Nicolas Jackson’s situation, but Chelsea have made things complicated by slapping what many are calling an “outrageous” €90 million price tag on the striker.

According to German outlet BILD, Bayern Munich are also heavily involved in the race to sign the Senegalese forward. The Bundesliga giants are now thought to be focusing their late-window attention on Jackson, despite sporting director Max Eberl publicly insisting otherwise. Behind the scenes, though, reports suggest that Bayern already have a personal agreement in place with the player, which could pave the way for a swift deal should Chelsea soften their stance.

 

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund has only added fuel to the fire. When asked about the Chelsea striker, he avoided a clear denial and instead cryptically replied: “I’m not denying anything.” That, unsurprisingly, has only heightened speculation in Germany and beyond.

 

But Bayern are far from the only club circling. Both Aston Villa and Newcastle United have expressed an interest in Jackson, who has endured an inconsistent spell at Stamford Bridge since his big-money arrival from Villarreal in 2023. His agent, former Senegal international Diomansy Kamara, has openly admitted that his client has plenty of options on the table across Europe’s top leagues. “Germany, Italy, England: there are many opportunities,” Kamara explained, before adding that a decision on Jackson’s future is “imminent.”

 

The stumbling block, however, remains Chelsea’s demands. The London club would ideally prefer a permanent transfer, but are adamant about securing a huge €90m fee — a figure Bayern, Villa, and Newcastle all view as excessive. Bayern, in particular, are only interested in a loan move to cover their short-term striker needs, while the Premier League duo are highly unlikely to stretch their finances to match Chelsea’s valuation.

 

This leaves the situation finely balanced heading into the final days of the transfer window. Chelsea may need to reassess their stance if they genuinely want to move Jackson on, especially with the player seemingly open to a fresh start elsewhere. Whether that comes in the Bundesliga with Bayern, or back in the Premier League with Villa or Newcastle, could depend entirely on whether the Blues climb down from their “ridiculous” demands.