Chelsea will seek a permanent sale for Nicolas Jackson after Bayern Munich confirmed they will not sign the striker on a permanent transfer. German giants Bayern spent around £14 million to sign Jackson on a season-long loan deal last summer. Bayern, who clinched another Bundesliga title last week, agreed to sign Jackson permanently for a further £56 million if certain conditions were met. However, Jackson did not make enough appearances to activate the transfer, starting just ten league games under Vincent Kompany and scoring seven goals.
Bayern's Decision
Bayern Munich still had the option to negotiate a new deal with Chelsea, but the club's director of sport Max Eberl has confirmed Jackson will return to Stamford Bridge once the loan deal ends. 'We will not trigger the option for Nicolas Jackson,' Eberl told German TV channel ZDF. Bayern's decision means Jackson will soon return to Chelsea, where he scored 30 goals in 81 appearances following a £32 million move from Villarreal. More than half of those goals came in Jackson's first season in west London before a more underwhelming second campaign for the Senegal striker.
Jackson's Future
Jackson decided to leave Chelsea after the Blues signed two new strikers last summer – Joao Pedro from Brighton and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town. Chelsea threatened to block his move to Bayern after an early injury for Delap, but Jackson was already in Munich by that point and essentially refused to return. With his days at Bayern numbered, Jackson is believed to be open to reviving his career back at Chelsea. However, talkSPORT says Chelsea will still try to cash in on Jackson despite failing to offload him to Bayern Munich. It is claimed Chelsea's Premier League rivals Newcastle United have already placed Jackson on a list of summer targets after expressing interest in the 24-year-old last summer.
Interest from Other Clubs
Newcastle were not alone in registering interest in Jackson before his move to Bayern Munich, with Tottenham and AC Milan just two of the other clubs who were linked with moves. Chelsea's decision to offload Jackson last summer was met by a mixed reaction, with former midfielder John Obi Mikel recently claiming he has been 'missed' this season. 'We are missing Nicolas Jackson,' the Chelsea hero said on his YouTube channel. 'What he gave us, no striker has given us. So yes, we are missing Jackson.'
Eddie Howe eventually welcomed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa to St James' Park as Alexander Isak's replacements, but both have struggled. With Jackson now available, Newcastle could renew their interest in the striker as they look to strengthen their attacking options.
