MANCHESTER UNITED have received a boost in the chase for Nicolas Jackson after he snubbed two European giants - but they will have to pay Chelsea £80m for the striker.
The Senegalese ace has already turned down offers from Napoli and AC Milan in preference of staying in the Premier League.
Jackson has seen his once-undisputed starting spot at taken first by Liam Delap, who turned down a move to Old Trafford in favour of joining Stamford Bridge.
, who announced himself at the with two terrific goals on his full debut for the club.
, as Cole Palmer stole the show to lead Chelsea to Club World Cup victory.
Jackson’s misery was compounded by the fact that he was left on the bench for the entire 90 minutes of that historic win -perhaps as punishment for being sent off twice in his previous four appearances for the club.
The former striker is however a man in demand, with SunSport exclusively told that Napoli were the first to make contact with the player’s entourage before eventually signing .
AC Milan have also made their intentions clear, though sources say the player loves playing in England and would prefer to stay in the Premier League if he were to move.
He still has seven years remaining on his current deal and Chelsea would ideally like to have two No9s competing for minutes and pushing each other to the limit.
But the transfer window is very fluid and a project like that of Manchester United’s could be of interest to the player. And if the £80m valuation is met, it could tempt Chelsea into a sale.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery still has a special relationship with Jackson from their time together at Villarreal.
He is a big fan of the forward’s ability to link up play and sources have told SunSport that Villa have asked to be informed if the player becomes available.
already held talks with one of Jackson’s representatives, Ali Barat, in a move meant to test the waters and assess the viability of a deal.
Last season, Jackson bagged ten league goals from 30 games and provided five assists as Chelsea finished fourth and secured Champions League football.
He was also on target as they came from behind to beat Real Betis and win the UEFA Conference League.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expressed confidence in Jackson last season when he said he would like to “clone” the striker if the club were to sign another forward.
Speaking in a press conference in April, he said: “With Nico, we are a completely different team compared to when he was injured. We are happy with Nico as our striker.
“My perfect No9 is exactly Nico Jackson. We already have a No9. It’s not the summer now. If we can have a copy of Nico, it’s OK. With Nico, we are a better team. Nico is the one we need.”
Jackson is currently back in Senegal for his holidays after a long season but there should be clarity over his long-term future in the coming weeks.
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