Is £65m Nicolas Jackson worth it? Chelsea set price tag as Aston Villa consider record bid | OneFootball

Chelsea have set an asking price of £65m for Nicolas Jackson with Aston Villa weighing up a formal approach.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to sign Jackson, with Unai Emery open to a reunion with his former Villarreal player. The Villans have banked more than £190m from sales this summer and are contemplating an official bid for Jackson.

The Senegalese striker has returned to Chelsea from a season-long loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals in 34 games for the German double-winners.

Bayerndecided against the £70m option to make the move permanent, though Chelsea retain confidence that the club can secure a significant sum for the forward.

According toThe Athletic, Chelsea value Jackson at £65m, a fee that would represent a club-record deal for Aston Villa. He's one of several strikers expected to leave West London this summer, with Emmanuel Emegha, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu all attracting suitors.

He is currently with Chelsea during their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, with Xabi Alonso insisting he has not ruled out retaining Jackson.

“We need to go day by day, checking options,” Alonso said. “But we are happy that Nico is with us.

“Nico is a great player. He is a threat against any defence, so we want to have players who can compete, and for sure Nico is one of them.”

Is Nicolas Jackson worth £65m as Chelsea set asking price?

Jackson joined Chelsea from Villarreal for a £32m fee and scored 30 goals in 81 games across two seasons.

The 25-year-old attracted criticism for wastefulness in front of goal, missing more opportunities than any otherPremier League player to have had 50+ 'big chances' across the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns.

However, Jackson found himself as a magnet for opportunities. Excluding penalties, only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has averaged more non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes in thePremier League since January 2020.

Jackson accrued 0.55 non-penalty xG per 90, leaving him ahead of names including Alexander Isak (0.52) and Mohamed Salah (0.49).

His record in Germany last season was also impressive. The forward scored 11 goals from 15 starts across theBundesliga and Champions League, averaging a goal every 119 minutes. His conversion rate was also impressive, slightly exceeding his xG in both competitions, even if Bayern's dominance was a contributing factor.

For comparison, Ollie Watkins underperformed his xG, scoring 21 times from an expected goals figure of 24.57 in the Premier League and Europa League in 2025/26.

At 25, Jackson would offer a long-term successor to the England international, who turns 31 in December. With Villa back in the Champions League next season, competition for places is needed.