Aston Villa hold talks to sign “exceptional” £65m striker who’s now a “key target”
Aston Villa have now held talks to sign Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, having identified him as a “key” transfer target.
Villa are searching for a new centre-forward, with Ollie Watkins‘ future up in the air, but Unai Emery has made it clear he has little interest in offloading the England international, saying: “I don’t want to sell him but it can change because if it’s a good option for him and the club and I can replace him in the squad, this is the routine we have and we did before with the players who are leaving.
“With Ollie, he is here, for me he is a fantastic striker, we have always believed in him. Now he is our player, there are 10 days more or less to finish the transfer window, we will see what happens, I’m happy with him, if he is staying with us he will continue playing his level.”
Watkins has been prolific ever since joining the Villans from Brentford back in 2020, reaching double figures for Premier League goals in every season.
|
Ollie Watkins’ goalscoring record |
Appearances |
Goals |
|
2020-21 |
37 |
14 |
|
2021-22 |
35 |
11 |
|
2022-23 |
37 |
15 |
|
2023-24 |
37 |
19 |
|
2024-25 |
38 |
16 |
|
2025-26 |
37 |
16 |
Crucially, the 30-year-old is almost always available too, which would be useful heading into what is set to be a busy season for Emery’s side, who have secured a return to the Champions League.
As such, it would be a risk to cash-in on Watkins, who has attracted interest from Al-Hilal, although Jackson could be a solid replacement, having picked up 30 goals and 12 assists in 81 matches for Chelsea.
The 37-cap Senegal international spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he deputised for Harry Kane, but he still managed to get on the scoresheet regularly, chipping in with eight goals and two assists in 23 Bundesliga matches.
Miguel Angel Tena, the striker’s former coach at Villarreal, has also been full of praise, saying: “Jackson is an exceptional boy, a great person with very important human values.”
Aston Villa hold talks to sign Nicolas Jackson
According to reporter Tom Collomosse, Aston Villa have now held informal talks regarding a deal for Jackson, who has emerged as a “key target”, as their search for a striker continues.
An enquiry has also been made about Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, but the Eagles have “no interest” in cashing-in, which means the Frenchman may not be attainable this summer.
The 29-year-old has gone from strength to strength with Palace over the past three seasons, scoring 42 goals in 104 Premier League games. However, he is significantly older than Jackson at 29, whereas the Chelsea forward is just 25.
Emery knows the Senegal international from their time working together at Villarreal too, which means he could be the ideal addition to Villa’s attack, should Watkins depart.
