Villa near £65m agreement for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson

Aston Villa are on the verge of securing the services of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson in a transfer worth up to £65m. According to BBC Sport, there is a broad agreement between the clubs, with Chelsea set to receive an initial sum of £47.5m plus £17.5m in add-ons. The 25-year-old Senegal international is expected to reunite with manager Unai Emery, having previously played under the Villa boss at Spanish club Villarreal.

The deal remains subject to personal terms being agreed, but negotiations are described as being at an advanced stage. Jackson’s arrival at Villa Park is likely to trigger the departure of England international Ollie Watkins, who is expected to move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. This potential exit would see five of the starting XI who won the Europa League in May leave the club, following the recent departures of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Ezri Konsa.

Jackson’s move would be the latest addition to Villa’s summer rebuild, which has already seen the arrivals of record signing Johan Manzambi, midfielder Joao Gomes, goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, and defender Matteo Ruggeri. The striker joined Chelsea from Villarreal for £35m in 2023 and scored 30 goals in 81 appearances for the Blues. He also won the Europa Conference League with the club before his most recent appearance against Fluminense in the 2025 Club World Cup.

Last season, Jackson spent time on loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals in 34 games and helped the team win the Bundesliga. Chelsea banked a £14.3m loan fee from the move, although an obligation to buy for £56.2m was not triggered because Jackson failed to make 40 appearances of 45 minutes or more. The Senegal international has eight goals in 37 caps for his country and featured at the World Cup in the summer.

The transfer activity is not limited to Villa, as Chelsea are currently weighing up a move for Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. The Argentine is deemed surplus to requirements following the arrival of Zion Suzuki from Parma. Meanwhile, Chelsea have agreed a £50m fee with Nottingham Forest for striker Liam Delap and are in talks with Atalanta over 18-year-old defender Honest Ahanor, who is valued at £34.3m.