€81.5m Chelsea star in limbo as insider reveals ‘not convinced’ verdict | OneFootball

Nicolas Jackson is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with sources telling TEAMtalk that Bayern Munich are not willing to make the loan deal permanent for the striker after Chelsea decided to offload him in the summer of 2025.

Jackson joined Bayern on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea in the summer of 2025. The defending Bundesliga champions have the obligation to make the deal permanent for a hefty fee (more of that later) if the Senegal international striker starts 40 games.

As things stand, that clause is unlikely to be met, with Harry Kane the number one striker for Bayern Munich and banging in the goals for fun for the defending Bundesliga champions.

While Jackson has scored two goals in one start and two substitute appearances in the Champions League for Bayern so far this season, the 24-year-old has found the back of the net just once in eight Bundesliga games.

Four of those league matches have been starts for Jackson, with sources telling TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Dean Jones, that, as things stand, Bayern are not planning to make the Chelsea-owned striker’s loan deal permanent.

When asked if Bayern plan to keep Jackson permanently, Jones told TEAMtalk: “There has been no definite decision made yet on keeping him, and Jackson still has the situation in his own hands to some extent.

“He’s going to have to make more of an impression because he has only got one goal so far, and it is not looking good.

“There have been some suggestions that he could leave Bayern in January, but that is not going to happen, from what I have been told. They will keep him for the season.

“But Bayern are continuing to monitor the market for other strikers as they are not convinced the Jackson deal is going to work out, so let’s see what happens.

“There are plenty of games left in the season for him to turn this around … but to view the situation for what it is at this stage, Bayern will not sign him on a permanent deal.”

The numbers behind Nicolas Jackson’s transfer to Bayern Munich

Chelsea signed Jackson from Villarreal in the summer of 2023 on an eight-year contract.

The Blues paid £32million (€36.3m, $42.1m) for Jackson, who was 22 at the time and had scored 13 goals in 38 appearances for Villarreal in the 2022/23 campaign, while also being named La Liga player of the month in May 2023.

Jackson had a mixed spell at Chelsea, with whom he won the Conference League last season and the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025, but failed to score goals regularly.

The striker scored 30 goals and gave 12 assists in 81 appearances for Chelsea, who decided to sever ties with him in the summer of 2025.

Although Chelsea subsequently tried to convince Jackson to make a U-turn and return to Stamford Bridge after Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury, the striker and his agents were adamant about not going back to the London club, with the Blues recalling Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland.

With Joao Pedro, Delap and Guiu the three strikers for Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca at the moment, Jackson may not even get into matchday squads at Stamford Bridge should he have to return next summer.

The finances involved for Bayern to trigger the obligation clause are also huge, which explains why the Bavarians are reluctant to keep Jackson in the long run.

According to ESPN, Bayern have had to pay Chelsea a loan fee of €16.5m and will have to cough up a further €65m (a total of €81.5m, £71.8m, $94.4m) if the deal becomes permanent in the summer of 2026.

Jackson’s agent, Ali Barat, subsequently released a statement in September outlining the finer details.

The statement read: “Ali Barat redefines the game again Nicolas Jackson to FC Bayern Munich.

“A world-record loan. A visionary transfer. Another Ali Barat masterclass.

“Epic Sports proudly confirms that Senegalese international Nicolas Jackson has joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan with a mandatory buy option of €81.5 million.

“This groundbreaking move includes a world-record €16.5million loan fee and a future sale percentage, one of the most ambitious and complex deals of the summer transfer window.

“But beyond the numbers, this is a story of persistence, resilience, and elite career strategy….”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been urged to raid Chelsea for one of their best midfielders, and TEAMtalk can reveal the Premier League club’s stance on selling him.