Atletico Madrid director Mateo Alemany reportedly travelled to London this week in a bid to finalise a move for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson. Aston Villa are also known to be admirers of Jackson, who could be targeted if Ollie Watkins leaves the club for Al-Hilal before the end of the summer window.
Villa’s Watkins Dilemma
While Villa have offered Watkins a new contract until 2030, they cannot match the wages the Saudi Arabian club can offer. Villa have turned down three offers for Watkins and have communicated their desire to keep him to both Al-Hilal and the player.
Yet, with Watkins’ future remaining unclear, Jackson would be an obvious target should Villa need to replace him. Competition for the striker’s signature appears to be heating up, with Atletico now the latest club to make a move for the striker.
Chelsea’s Stance on Jackson
Chelsea, however, want to sell Jackson permanently rather than sanction another loan following his spell at Bayern Munich last season.
According to Marca, Atletico chief Alemany is pursuing Jackson because of the injury suffered by Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez’s lack of form.
Alemany on the Market
“Everything is complicated. The market, if you look at it from the outside, has become tough, and it gets more complicated every year because there’s so much money in the system. There’s inflation. Special players are hard to find,” Alemany told Movistar on Wednesday night.
