Barcelona ‘set sights’ on Chelsea forward in mind-boggling move – report

James Holland 09 Jul 2025 8:08 PM

Chelsea pair Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling

Barcelona are plotting shock talks to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, with a report detailing how the Catalan giants could sign him despite financial constraints.

Jackson arrived in England in July 2023 when Chelsea paid Villarreal £32million for his services. The striker has since managed 30 goals and 12 assists in 81 matches for Chelsea, helping the Blues to win the Europa Conference League while also returning to the Champions League via their Premier League finish.

Chelsea chiefs rate Jackson highly and believe he will go on to become a top-class goalscorer in the future. They have previously rebuffed approaches to sell the 24-year-old, believing in his potential.

But Jackson’s future at Stamford Bridge has become uncertain in recent months. He has picked up two red cards lately, the most recent of which came against Flamengo in the Club World Cup.

Jackson appears to be struggling with the idea that Chelsea have signed Liam Delap and Joao Pedro to provide him with competition for his starting spot up front.

Jackson can also play off the left wing, though Enzo Maresca’s side have just brought in Jamie Gittens to improve that area of the squad.

According to an ambitious report from Spanish source Fichajes, Barcelona are ‘closely monitoring’ Jackson’s situation at Chelsea.

Barcelona have ‘set their sights’ on the Senegal international, believing there could soon be a ‘market opportunity’ to take him back to LaLiga on a bargain deal.

Barca sporting director Deco is supposedly planning talks with Chelsea officials over a possible season-long loan for Jackson.

Such a transfer would ease the pressure on current Barca striker Robert Lewandowski, who is 36 years old and in the latter part of his career.

Barca think Chelsea would be open to letting Jackson go on loan as he would have the chance to get more minutes and continue his development, while also potentially increasing his transfer value.

Deco is said to be sold on Jackson, valuing his ability to run the channels and play in a variety of attacking positions.

Barcelona, Juventus and Napoli all eyeing Nicolas Jackson – reports

Barca are not the first European giant to be linked with Jackson this summer. It emerged on June 21 that Juventus and Napoli are both keen on the player, who is ‘no longer untouchable’ at Chelsea.

While the chances of Jackson leaving Chelsea have certainly increased, it would be a surprise if he joined Barca, one of the biggest clubs in the world. Jackson is not yet in the elite standard of strikers, having left Chelsea fans frustrated at times by missing glorious chances.

Plus, it has been widely reported that Chelsea brought in Delap to compete with Jackson, rather than replace him. Pedro, meanwhile, is viewed as the new versatile attacker in Maresca’s squad, replacing Christopher Nkunku.

It is likely Maresca and Chelsea will assess Jackson for another year before making a final decision on his future. If Jackson’s poor disciplinary record continues, and his goalscoring statistics fail to improve, then Chelsea could put him on the market in summer 2026.