Chelsea are on the brink of completing a deal to sign Villarreal striker Nicolas Jackson and a medical has now been scheduled.
Are Chelsea signing Nicolas?
The Senegal international still has another three years remaining on his contract, which has a release clause included, but having established himself as the Yellow Submarine's top-performing offensive player last season, has caught the eye of Mauricio Pochettino.
Earlier in June, Fabrizio Romano reported that the Blues had informed the La Liga outfit that they were interested in the 22-year-old and were ready to submit a bid that would match his release clause, and from then onwards, it sounds like negotiations have developed rapidly.
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has claimed that the forward had agreed personal terms to complete the move to the Premier League with Pochettino having green-lit the transfer himself, and it sounds like the switch being finalised is simply a matter of time.
Taking to Twitter, Nizaar Kinsella revealed that Chelsea could sign Jackson in the next 48 hours with the Villarreal striker set to jet into the capital to seal the deal. Romano then followed that with a further update, revealing the scheduling of a medical:
"Excl: Chelsea have finally reached full agreement to sign Nicolas Jackson, here we go! Understand Villarreal accepted Chelsea to pay just bit more than €35m (£30m) release clause but better payment terms using installments. Medical being scheduled, personal terms agreed."
Where could Jackson fit in at the Bridge?
Chelsea could have three attacking players leaving with Kai Havertz close to joining Arsenal while Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also linked with exits, so Pochettino will need to bolster his ranks with a partner for Christopher Nkunku, and having been hailed an “exciting” centre-forward with "incredible" finishing by journalist Josh Bunting, Jackson could be perfect.
The World Cup participant, who is represented by Epic Sports, clocked up 16 goal contributions (12 goals and four assists) in 26 La Liga appearances last season, with this impressive form having seen him receive four man-of-the-match awards.
Villarreal’s talisman also recorded 23 shots on target during the previous term which was more than any of his fellow teammates, as per FBRef, so is constantly posing a prolific threat even if the ball doesn’t always hit the back of the net.
Finally, Jackson would provide the boss with excellent versatility with his ability to operate in all four positions across the frontline, so he’s an extremely well-rounded player who would surely only excel further under the guidance of Pochettino.
