Nicolas Jackson is set to return to Chelsea after Bayern Munich decided not to sign the striker on a permanent transfer.
Bayern paid around £14m to sign Jackson on loan last summer and were obligated to make the deal permanent for a further £56m if he made a set number of appearances.
It soon became apparent that Jackson would fall way short of that figure as he has only been a bit-part player under Vincent Kompany, playing back-up to Tottenham legend and England captain Harry Kane.
Bayern Munich still had the opportunity to renegotiate with Chelsea and keep Jackson at the Allianz Arena, but they have ‘decided internally’ not to go down this route.
CF Bayern Insider has confirmed Jackson has ‘no future’ in Munich and will be sent back to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Jackson was delighted to join Bayern and wanted to earn a permanent move to Germany but has struggled to make an impact, starting just five league games.
Bayern Munich are eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and one of the favourites to win the Champions League, but Jackson has had little influence on the team’s impressive form.
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The Senegal striker will therefore be sent back to Stamford Bridge but his return will only be short-lived as Chelsea are not expected to reintegrate him into the first-team squad.
Jackson scored 30 goals in 81 matches for the Blues following his £32m move from Villarreal in 2023.
While that is by no means an awful record, Chelsea went out and bought two strikers last summer, Joao Pedro from Brighton and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.
Jackson attracted interest from a number of Premier League and foreign clubs last summer so will likely be in demand despite his underwhelming spell at Bayern.
Reports in Germany claim multiple clubs in Saudi Arabia are interested in signing Jackson, but it remains to be seen whether he would be open to that move at this stage of his career.
Jackson, for his part, is said to be ‘open’ to staying at Stamford Bridge, especially as the manager who sanctioned his move to Bayern – Enzo Maresca – has been sacked and replaced by Liam Rosenior.
But Chelsea are not expected to keep him in west London given they signed Pedro and Delap last summer and are set to welcome Emmanuel Emegha at the end of the season.
Pedro has enjoyed a promising first season at Chelsea, scoring 14 goals in all competitions, but Delap has struggled with just two.
Former Manchester City forward Delap has even been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge ahead of the summer transfer window.
Jamie Carragher has claimed it was a mistake for Chelsea to sign Delap, while Emily Heskey has suggested he should leave in the summer.
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