Chelsea could face long-term Nicolas Jackson issue after Bayern Munich make decision | OneFootball

Bayern Munich have made their decision regarding Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson's future at Allianz Arena amid the option to sign him on a permanent basis, according to reports.

Jackson's loan move to Bayern on the summer transfer window deadline day was quite dramatic.

The 24-year-old pushed to join the German club despite Liam Delap's hamstring injury at the time, forcing Chelsea to recall Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland instead.

The agreement between Chelsea and Bayern is quite unusual as well.

IMAGO / dts Nachrichtenagentur

German journalist Christian Falk, via CFBayernInsider, reported that in addition to the £14.3m loan fee, the two clubs also agreed on an obligation to sign the striker permanently for £56.2m, but only if he makes 40 starts during his loan spell.

Falk further claimed that as of now, Bayern have no intention of triggering the clause, but do not plan to send Jackson back to Chelsea in January.

Jackson has so far made 12 appearances for Bayern across all competitions, but was a starter in only five of them.

This means Jackson will have to start 35 more matches before the reported clause becomes active and Bayern are obliged to sign him permanently.

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The striker's lack of starts makes perfect sense, too, considering Bayern also have Harry Kane, who has already racked up 22 goals in all competitions for Bayern this season.

In comparison, Jackson has only had three goals for Bayern so far.

In addition to that, the report mentioned that Bayern have started looking for other potential striker targets, too, such as Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic and FC Midtjylland's Franculino Dju.

Therefore, Jackson is likely to return to Chelsea at the end of the season.

What Maresca said about Jackson

There is, of course, the possibility that Blues head coach Enzo Maresca would agree to reintegrate the former Villarreal striker to his squad next season.

That said, Maresca's recent comment suggests he did not want to have three strikers competing for the starting role in his squad.

IMAGO / NurPhoto

"Because we bought two strikers," the Italian said in September when asked about the reason behind Jackson's departure.

"Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. I think with two strikers it’s a good number, it’s enough. This is the reason why."

Bear in mind that in addition to these two, Chelsea also have Guiu and Tyrique George, two young strikers who are hungry for opportunities.

"I said the other day I’m grateful, thankful to Nico," Maresca added.

"I texted him after he left the club, telling him thanks for last season, wishing him all the best. Nico is a good guy. With us, (he) was good, working well."

Jackson signed a new contract with Chelsea last year, tying him to the club until 2033, which means, unless the club finds a solution, this could be a long-term issue.