Chelsea Issues Stern Transfer Warning to Manchester United Over Nicolas Jackson Pursuit
Chelsea have held discussions with Manchester United regarding their valuation for forward Nicolas Jackson, according to recent reports.
Earlier this week, it was disclosed that United had included Jackson on their summer striker shortlist, with several European clubs believed to be tracking his status following Chelsea's early acquisitions of Liam Delap and João Pedro in the current transfer window.
AC Milan were among the initial clubs to make inquiries about Jackson, and were promptly told that a £100 million ($134.2 million) offer would be required to secure his services. Though Chelsea are unlikely to maintain such steep valuations during negotiations, they have no intention of entertaining bargain proposals.
Per Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have communicated this position to United. Jackson is not actively being marketed for sale and there are no plans to push him out, though substantial offers for the Senegal striker would receive consideration.
Currently, United have not progressed their pursuit of Jackson, and it's emphasized that they haven't settled on their primary striker target. Their complete attention has been on Bryan Mbeumo, for whom a deal was finally secured on Friday.
Moving forward, United will intensify internal discussions about their next striker acquisition, though much depends on funds generated through player sales. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia are all on the transfer list, with the Red Devils expecting to generate significantly more than £100 million for reinvestment across other squad areas.
Whether they will revisit their Jackson interest remains unclear and the choice may be removed from United's control if another interested party acts first. Aston Villa have maintained long-standing interest and are believed to continue their pursuit this summer.
Regarding Chelsea, the Blues would be content to retain Jackson past this summer, despite him no longer seeming to be the preferred striker option under Enzo Maresca. Nevertheless, like with most squad members, substantial bids would be given serious thought.