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Aston Villa has reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson in a deal worth up to £65 million, making it the biggest transfer in the club’s history. The fee breaks down into an initial payment of £47.5 million with a further £17.5 million in potential add-ons. For Chelsea, it represents a tidy profit on a player they bought from Villarreal for £32 million back in June 2023.
Why Villa needed a striker yesterday
This transfer doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Aston Villa is staring at a gaping hole up front after agreeing to sell Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for approximately £50 million.
Jackson, who turns 25 this year, comes off a productive loan spell at Bayern Munich during the 2025-26 season where he contributed double-digit goals in one of Europe’s most demanding leagues.
Chelsea essentially parked a £32 million asset in Munich for a season, let him develop against elite Bundesliga defenses, and then flipped him for roughly double the price.
The Emery connection
There’s a reunion story baked into this deal. Unai Emery, Villa’s manager, coached Jackson at Villarreal before the striker moved to Chelsea.
A busy summer between Villa Park and Stamford Bridge
The Jackson deal is just one thread in what has become a surprisingly active transfer corridor between Aston Villa and Chelsea this summer. Morgan Rogers moved in the opposite direction, joining Chelsea for a reported £117 million in a deal that dwarfs the Jackson transfer.
That means the two clubs have exchanged players worth a combined £182 million in a single window.
Jackson’s arrival means Villa’s record signing now surpasses Johan Manzambi. For Chelsea, Jackson arrived for £32 million and is leaving for up to £65 million — a potential 103% return on investment over three years.
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