Villarreal attacker Nicolas Jackson has reportedly agreed personal terms with Chelsea as the Blues try to strike a deal with the Yellow Submarine to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old shone during his breakthrough season with Quique Setien's team last season, registering 13 goals and five assists from 38 matches in all competitions.
With first-choice striker Gerard Moreno often absent due to injury, Jackson ended the 2022-23 season as Villarreal's top scorer, banking 12 strikes in 26 La Liga matches.
The Senegal international is tied down to the Yellow Submarine for another three years, but he has understandably attracted interest from the Premier League owing to his impressive set of statistics.
Former Villarreal manager Unai Emery - now in charge of Aston Villa - has apparently shown an interest in reuniting with Jackson in the West Midlands, and the Lions can offer him Europa Conference League football for the 2023-24 season.
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In contrast, Chelsea will have no European football at Stamford Bridge next year after their 12th-placed finish, but Villa may struggle to compete with the Blues' financial muscle.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have now taken a giant step towards winning the race for Jackson's signature by agreeing personal terms with the young forward.
The report adds that Jackson's Villarreal contract also includes a release clause of €35m (£29.9m), and Chelsea are now working to strike an agreement with the La Liga club.
Jackson joined Villarreal's academy in the summer of 2019 and was officially promoted to the senior team last year, although he had already made nine first-team appearances in the 2021-22 campaign.
The 2001-born attacker struggled with a hip injury last season but enjoyed a terrific end to the campaign, scoring nine goals and setting up two more in Villarreal's last eight La Liga affairs.
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Jackson only managed two top-flight goals prior to the World Cup, but he was nevertheless called up to Aliou Cisse's squad and made his senior Senegal debut off the bench in a group-stage defeat to the Netherlands.
While comfortable on either wing, Jackson was primarily deployed as an out-and-out striker last season, and a new number nine is thought to be one of Chelsea's top priorities for the summer window.
Kai Havertz was often utilised at the tip of the attack last season and ended the year as Chelsea's joint-top goalscorer in all tournaments with nine strikes, level with Raheem Sterling, but the Blues could be open to selling the German this summer.
Havertz has apparently indicated that he will not extend his contract beyond 2025 and is believed to be the subject of interest from Arsenal, but the Gunners have seen an opening bid for the 24-year-old rejected by Chelsea.
Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang do not appear to have futures at Stamford Bridge either and are both expected to leave in the coming weeks, while Armando Broja is still recovering from the cruciate ligament rupture that he suffered during the World Cup break.
Ben Knapton
