Chelsea's £60m Asking Price For Out-Of-Favour Star A Hurdle Despite Interest From Clubs | OneFootball

What is Chelsea's striker situation? Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Chelsea could have a hard time offloading Nicolas Jackson, despite interest from several clubs, because of his price tag.

Xabi Alonso’s team selection in Chelsea's 3-1 final pre-season win over Real Sociedad on Saturday afternoon might have indicated the manager’s plans for his squad for the new season.

There were some surprise absentees, such as new summer signing Danny Welbeck, but a few others may be a step closer to summer exits after their omissions from the match.

Jackson was among the players who did not make the cut, as was fellow striker Liam Delap.

It certainly raised some eyebrows that Alonso had no backup striker on the bench. As a result, Joao Pedro was one of the only two Chelsea starters to play the whole match against Real Sociedad alongside Wesley Fofana. The Brazilian bagged a brace against the Spanish side.

With Joao Pedro, Jackson, Delap, Welbeck, Marc Guiu and Emmanuel Emegha on their books, it has always been clear that Chelsea cannot keep them all this summer.

Delap has been linked with Serie A side Como and several Premier League clubs. Jackson has also attracted interest from several clubs.

According to RMC Sport, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are all currently closely monitoring the Senegal international’s situation.

Unfortunately, no club has made a move because of Chelsea’s steep asking price. Chelsea are claimed to be demanding £60 million for the 25-year-old.

This figure is really close to the £56.25m (€65m) Bayern Munich would have had to pay for Jackson if the requirements to trigger the obligation-to-buy clause in his loan deal had been met last season.

In other words, Chelsea believe Jackson has maintained his value after spending last season on loan in the Bundesliga.

Jackson, who is under contract at Chelsea until 2033, still bagged 11 goals and four assists for Bayern Munich in all competitions despite playing second fiddle to Harry Kane.

There is plenty of time until the summer transfer window closes on September 1, but there is an expectation that Chelsea are unlikely to attract concrete proposals for Jackson at his current valuation.

Jackson’s long-term contract means Chelsea have the flexibility to consider loan offers, too. This could be risky, however, since one poor season could significantly drop his valuation.

Another option is to keep Jackson in the squad. The Sun recently claimed that Jackson is open to staying and fighting for his spot at Chelsea under Alonso.

The former Villarreal striker was said to have enjoyed working under Alonso during the team’s pre-season tour in Asia and would take the opportunity if offered a role in the team.

However, this would require Alonso to agree to Jackson staying, and, as mentioned, the striker’s absence against Real Sociedad might have suggested otherwise.