Chelsea ace emerges as shock transfer target for rival Premier League club | OneFootball

Senegal international Nicolas Jackson is on Aston Villa’s list of transfer targets according to former Villa scout Mick Brown.

Jackson joined the Blues in the summer of 2023 from Spanish side Villarreal in a deal worth £32m and scored 14 league goals in his debut season.

The 23-year-old made a good start to life under Enzo Maresca, scoring nine league goals to date, but hasn’t found the back of the net in 2025.

Villa plot move for Jackson

A lack of an alternative to Jackson is a big problem for the Blues, and they opted against signing a striker in the January window.

The decision proved costly when the Blues were hit with the news that Jackson would be sidelined until April with a hamstring injury.

Marc Guiu is also on the treatment table meaning Chelsea have no fit strikers, with Christopher Nkunku leading the line for the last two games.

Chelsea are said to leading the race to Liam Delap, whilst they are also thought to hold an interest in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Jackson picked up a hamstring injury against West Ham on deadline day. (Photo by: Reuters/Andrew Couldrige)

The Blues believe in Jackson and he was rewarded with a two year contract extension until 2033 off the back of his debut season.

However, Brown has claimed the Senegalese could be an option for Villa if they don’t sign Marcus Rashford after his loan spell.

“Come the end of the season, let’s say they lose Rashford, then they’ve just lost Jhon Duran to Saudi Arabia, so that’s another option gone. Ollie Watkins is attracting interest from Arsenal as well,”  he told Football Insider.

“So if they’re left with limited options up front, they’re going to have to go into the market to find a new striker who can play regular games for them.

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“If Jackson is available, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them make a move for him.

“So there are a lot of moving pieces, but it’s very possible Villa are going to be looking for a new striker, and Jackson is one of the names on their list.”