Chelsea have bolstered their attacking options by buying Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal. The striker has joined for around £32m and signed an eight-year deal.
Jackson’s contract contained a £30m release clause but Chelsea secured favourable payment terms by agreeing to a slightly higher price. The Senegal striker, who finished last season by scoring nine goals in eight games, also had interest from Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Everton.
Chelsea moved swiftly to sign the 21-year-old, who failed a medical at Bournemouth in January. Jackson has been identified as one for the future and is not expected to become a starter straight away.
However Chelsea need more depth in attack after selling Kai Havertz to Arsenal, with Romelu Lukaku, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic also likely to depart. They have already signed the France forward, Christopher Nkunku, from RB Leipzig, and the 20-year-old right-back, Malo Gusto, from Lyon.
Chelsea’s next priority will be pushing to complete a deal for the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder, Moisés Caicedo. It is thought that £80m could be enough to land the Ecuador international, who shares an agent with Jackson. Chelsea also want the Celta Vigo midfielder, Gabri Veiga.
Jackson’s arrival comes on the day that Hakim Ziyech’s £8m move from Chelsea to Al-Nassr collapsed after a knee problem was flagged up during the winger’s medical.
N’Golo Kanté, Kalidou Koulibaly and Édouard Mendy have already left Chelsea for clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Ziyech was also due to head to the Middle East. The Morocco international was set to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr after being deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and was expected to sign a three-year deal.
However, issues during Ziyech’s medical saw the deal run into problems, while there have also been suggestions that there was a late disagreement over personal terms. It remains to be seen if Al-Nassr try to revive the deal, with Chelsea likely to want to find another buyer for the former Ajax player.
Chelsea’s fire sale is set to continue with the club captain, César Azpilicueta, joining Atlético Madrid. The 33-year-old Spain defender joined Chelsea in 2012 and almost left for Barcelona last year, only to sign a new deal. Azpilicueta, who has won a Champions League and two league titles during his time at Stamford Bridge, lost his place as a regular last season and is set to sign a two-year deal with Atlético.
Azpilicueta’s departure is just one piece of a mass clearout of the squad. Chelsea are on course to raise close to £200m in sales, with Mason Mount set to complete a £60m move to Manchester United. Ziyech has been keen to leave since last summer and was left frustrated after technical glitches saw a loan move to Paris Saint-Germain fall apart on the final day of the January transfer window.
The 30-year-old joined Chelsea from Ajax for £33m in 2020 and his form has been inconsistent. Injuries have held Ziyech back and he has struggled to nail down a regular starting place. He is unlikely to have a starting role under Chelsea’s new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea have confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to Milan, for a fee believed to be around £15m. The 27-year-old departs having spent 19 years with the club since joining their academy in 2004.
West Ham have no intention of loaning out Gianluca Scamacca despite Roma identifying the Italy striker as a target this summer. Roma are looking for more firepower after being rocked by Tammy Abraham sustaining a serious knee injury earlier this month and José Mourinho’s side are interested in Scamacca.
The 24-year-old has not settled since joining West Ham from Sassuolo for £35.5m last summer and the chance to move back to Italy could appeal to him. However Roma have financial problems and are unlikely to be able to afford a permanent transfer. A loan would not suit West Ham, who are reluctant to make a significant loss on the player.
There is hope that the Italian could still become a success in England. Scamacca made a positive start to his West Ham career, scoring six times in his first 12 appearances, and David Moyes admires the forward’s technical ability and finishing.
However Scamacca, who finished last season with eight goals in all competitions, has struggled to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League and was held back by a knee injury after Christmas. He was unavailable when West Ham won the Europa Conference League earlier this month.
Scamacca’s absence left Moyes with Michail Antonio and Danny Ings as his senior strikers. The academy prospect, Divin Mubama, has been around the first team and Moyes wants to give the 18-year-old forward more opportunities. Antonio, 33, is understood to be considering his future at West Ham.
