Chelsea have agreed a £70.5 million improved package for striker Nicolas Jackson to join German giants Bayern Munich.
After an on-off transfer saga, the 24-year-old is set to complete an initial loan move for £14.3m (16.5m euros), which crucially includes a mandatory obligation to buy for £56.2m (65m euros) through a minimum number of appearances.
It’s a deal on slightly improved terms as the one initially agreed and now worth in excess of £70m.
Personal terms are already in place for a future five-year permanent contract for Nicolas Jackson, whose deal with Bayern was in doubt after Chelsea instructed him to return when Liam Delap was injured in Saturday’s Premier League win over Fulham.
The Senegal forward joined Chelsea from £32m from Villarreal in 2023 and scored 30 goals in 81 matches.
Jackson had been an automatic starter until his red card at St James’s Park in April – his second dismissal of the season – which left the club without a striker as they were competing for a place in the Champions League.
Nicolas Jackson was then sent off within four minutes of coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 group-stage defeat by Flamengo at the Club World Cup, Fifa’s expanded competition which Chelsea ultimately won. Strikers Liam Delap and Joao Pedro arrived to replace him during the tournament.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation said Jackson ultimately lost the trust of manager Enzo Maresca and some of the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge, prompting Jackson to seek a move.
It was a shift in mood as Maresca said earlier in April that the frontman was his “perfect number nine” and wanted “a copy of Nico” rather than to replace him.
Nicolas Jackson could face Chelsea on September 17 (20:00 BST) in Munich as UEFA rules allow loanees to face their parent clubs in the Champions League.
Chelsea hijack Buonanotte deal
To boost their own attacking options, Chelsea have signed Argentine Facundo Buonanotte, 20, on a season-long loan deal from Brighton for a £2m fee.
Chelsea hijacked Leeds United’s move for Buonanotte and will pay about £2m to sign the twice-capped Argentina international on a temporary basis.
The forward spent last season on loan at Leicester City and managed six goals and three assists in 35 appearances as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League.
Chelsea have several staff members who know Buonanotte well from their time at Brighton, including co-sporting director Paul Winstanley and director of global recruitment Sam Jewell.
Maresca’s side have already added another Argentina forward, Alejandro Garnacho, from Manchester United for £40m.
Meanwhile, fellow Brighton forward Julio Enciso, 21, is also expected to join Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg for £13.8m, with a view that he will play for the Blues after a year in France.
