Chelsea 'on brink of completing Nicolas Jackson signing'

Chelsea have reportedly agreed terms with Villarreal to push through with the signing of Nicolas Jackson.

Since the appointment of head coach Mauricio Pochettino at the end of the season, the Blues hierarchy have been working to oversee a number of incomings and outgoings.

Departures are currently deemed to be a priority with Chelsea under pressure to get back on the right side of FFP before the end of the accounting year on June 30.

Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz could all be sold by the Premier League outfit over the next week.

However, Pochettino is keen to stamp his own mark on his first-team squad and it has been known for some time that Chelsea require a new striker ahead of 2023-24.

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The West Londoners recently emerged as contenders to sign Jackson, with it soon becoming apparent that the Senegal international favoured a transfer to Chelsea over other interested parties.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have now moved to the brink of finalising the arrival of the 22-year-old.

Widespread reports have suggested that Jackson has a €35m (£29.9m) release clause in his contract, a figure that has naturally been regarded as a popular option by more teams than just Chelsea.

Nevertheless, it is said that Chelsea have instead negotiated a marginally higher fee for the attacker in order to pay over a series of instalments.

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Taking such an approach will help Chelsea manage their situation with financial fair play at a time when they will not participate in Europe during the next campaign.

With personal terms already agreed, Jackson will now undergo a medical, just months after failing one with Bournemouth who cited issues with a hamstring injury.

Since then, though, Jackson has produced some of the best form of his career, netting nine goals during Villarreal's final eight fixtures of the season.

In total, Jackson managed to contribute 12 strikes and four assists from 1,603 minutes in Spain's top flight, all down the middle of the final third despite possessing the versatility to feature out wide.