Chelsea outcast keen on Aston Villa move due to Unai Emery

Nicolas Jackson fancies a move from Chelsea to Aston Villa, where he could reunite with former manager Unai Emery.

The 25-year-old spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea.

He joined the Blues from Villarreal in 2023 and played regularly for two seasons, scoring 30 goals in 81 appearances.

However, the signings of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap meant that the Senegal international was unlikely to play so much last season and he joined the German giants for a year.

Clearly he was not going to dislodge Harry Kane in the starting XI in Bavaria, but he made 34 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 times.

It is just one season and done for Jackson with Bayern, but he leaves having won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.

Now his future is up in the air having returned to Chelsea but wanting regular football, which he is unlikely to be guaranteed at Stamford Bridge.

Emery is keen on reuniting with Jackson having worked with him at Villarreal, where he first rose to prominence.

The Spanish side snapped up Jackson from Casa Sports in his home country of Senegal in 2019 and he impressed enough to earn his £32m move to Chelsea four years later.

His final season at Villarreal, which started under the management of Emery, saw him score 12 times in 26 La Liga games.

The Daily Mail report that Jackson is interested in the move to Villa Park to work with the Spanish boss again.

While Aston Villa are interested and the player is open to the move, Chelsea’s valuation of the player is likely to harm the chances of a deal.

The BBC report that the Blues have slapped a £65m asking price on the forward, which seems very steep for a player who has failed to convince either Chelsea or Bayern that he should be in their teams.

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has left the door open for Jackson to impress him over the summer, with the forward set to join the pre-season tour to Australia and Asia.

If Jackson were to get a move to Aston Villa he would have Champions League football, which Chelsea cannot offer, but would also face stiff competition for a place in the starting XI.

Ollie Watkins remains first choice up front for the Europa League winners, with Tammy Abraham also pushing for a place in Emery’s team.