Nicolas Jackson will not push for a move away from Chelsea this summer and instead hopes to impress Xabi Alonso in pre-season.
The 25-year-old is currently at the World Cup with Senegal, but will return to Stamford Bridge following a season-long loan spell which Bayern Munich have not made permanent.
A number of clubs both in the Premier League and across Europe are believed to be keen to lure him away, but he will first try to impress his new manager.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Jackson is delaying a move away from Chelsea until later in the summer window.
Alonso is set to assess his squad before making any major decisions over their futures, and when the bulk of his star names return for pre-season, he will make final assessments.
Should Jackson manage to impress the new boss, there is a chance he could remain at Stamford Bridge despite the growing interest in his signature.
What is next for Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea?
Football Insider exclusively revealed as early as November that Jackson would not remain at Bayern Munich beyond the end of his loan spell with the Bundesliga winners.
There was a £70m option to buy included in his loan deal, but the club opted against triggering it, and instead have allowed him to return to West London.
Now, the striker is weighing up his future given the level of interest from clubs across Europe, but will remain at Chelsea for now as he aims to impress Alonso.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I expalined: “He’s going to return to Chelsea this pre-season and I’m sure Jackson will be looking to see if he can make an impact on Xabi Alonso.
“It’s a clean slate for everybody at Chelsea and I’m sure Alonso will cast an eye over everybody, including Jackson, to see if they are going to play a part in his plans.
“Jackson, obviously, went on loan to Bayern Munich last year and did okay in places but wasn’t a regular starter because of the form of Harry Kane.
“But he’s still under a long-term contract at Chelsea until 2033, so he won’t be cheap if somebody was to come in for him and if Chelsea open the door for him to move on.”
Which clubs are interested in signing Jackson?
Jackson remains determiend to stay and impress at Stamford Bridge for now, but should he be unable to do so, clubs will be placed on high alert over his availability.
Juventus and Napoli have emerged as the latest contenders to sign the Senegal international as they hope to lure him to Serie A after his Budesliga spell.
Meanwhile, former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider in April that Newcastle have been approached over the possibility of signing Jackson.
The striker’s agent is believed to have made a number of clubs across European football aware of his availability in an attempt to drum up interest.
Newcastle have been keen to land a new striker this summer and could revisit their long-term interest in Jackson if he is allowed to leave Stamford Bridge.
