Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, but there is no shortage of interest in him, including from the Premier League.
The Blues have brought in two new strikers this summer as Liam Delap arrived from Ipswich Town and Joao Pedro came in from Brighton.
Unsurprisingly, that has called into question their plans for Jackson, who now faces a lot of competition up front and may well have fallen down the pecking order.
The Senegal international has not helped his cause at the Club World Cup, sent off in the group stage clash with Flamengo and picking up a three-match ban as a result.
He has returned from that suspension, but has not scored in the competition, while Pedro shone on his full debut, scoring twice in the 2-0 semi-final win over Fluminense.
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Earlier in the summer Arsenal were linked with a surprise move for the 24-year-old but the Gunners are now close to a deal for Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres instead.
There is also Premier League interest from both Manchester United and Aston Villa, with French journalist Nabil Djellit reporting that both clubs have made inquiries for Jackson. The report also states that there is interest from Napoli.
There have been contrasting reports on how much Chelsea want for Jackson, with Djellit stating that €70m (£60.5m) for the player they signed for £32m from Villarreal in 2023.
The Daily Mail report that the Blues are looking for £100m for Jackson this summer, which seems a pretty outrageous request and would rule out a transfer as no interested party would pay that much for him.
Whether there has been any follow up on the inquiries from Manchester United, Aston Villa or Napoli is not clear, but they have shown an interest in the forward.
Jackson has had mixed reviews since joining Chelsea, scoring 24 Premier League goals in two seasons and 30 in all competitions, which is not a terrible return.
His work rate and pressing has earned him plaudits, but his technical ability has been questioned, with the striker missing plenty of big chances in a Chelsea shirt.
After the £30m arrival of Delap and £60m signing of Pedro, Alan Shearer can see Chelsea cashing in on Jackson.
‘I don’t know, am I playing devil’s advocate here in thinking Jackson may be the one?’ Shearer said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
‘That wouldn’t surprise me if he was sold to someone, whether in our country or not, that’s one that wouldn’t surprise me if they made that decision.
‘They’ve got some serious options in every forward position.’
Manchester United are certainly looking for a new striker this summer, but their transfer focus remains on completely a deal for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
The transfer saga is running on and on, with the player reportedly getting ‘frustrated’ with the lengthy process, but he remains keen on the move to Old Trafford.
Two bids for Mbeumo have been rejected by the Bees, with a third offer expected to be made, which will have to be better than the initial £55m with £7.5m in add-ons, which was made last time round.