Arsenal consider surprise bid for £32m Chelsea star

Arsenal have included Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson on their list of striker targets for the summer transfer window, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta has made the signing of a new striker one of his top priorities for the summer window and Arsenal have already begun talks for both Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal also failed with a £60 million bid to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa in the January transfer window but the 29-year-old remains on their shortlist.

Jackson, meanwhile, has scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for Chelsea following his £31.8m move from Villarreal in 2023, but the 24-year-old has been criticised for his lack of consistency during his time at Stamford Bridge.

According to Duncan Castles, who was speaking on The Transfers Podcast, Arsenal have Jackson on their summer shortlist and Chelsea would be open to selling the striker having already signed Liam Delap for £30m from Ipswich Town this month.

But Arsenal are said to be holding out for a deal which represents the best value and are yet to make a final decision over which striker they will sign.

‘Mikel Arteta last season wanted to work with a tight squad, a small squad, because he thought that would give him the optimum chance of winning, the Premier League, it proved to be wrong, a whole host of injuries and also suspension issues,’ Castles said.

‘He’s changed his stance and wants a big squad and they’re going about it in all kinds of areas.

‘Viktor Gyokeres has basically told Sporting he’s not going to play or train for them again unless they let him go at the price of €60 million plus €10m in bonuses that was agreed at the end of last season’s transfer window, big fight with the president there.

‘He is one of four candidates to be the new striker at Arsenal.

‘Benjamin Sesko has been a key figure in their list of targets. One of the issues is Sesko has been asking for a release clause to be added to a contract that he would sign with Arsenal, which is something that Arsenal are not keen on for obvious reasons.

‘Ollie Watkins… Arsenal explored sighting him in January, Aston Villa said, ‘no, you will not be taking our key forward at that point’. But Watkins, I’m told, would be open to a move to Arsenal.

‘Whether that will emerge, you’d like to play for continue playing for club in the Champions League but play for club with the possibility winning the Premier League title, if Arsenal were to offer Aston Villa a sum that would be acceptable to them.

‘And then there’s one more name that I’ve become aware of this week which may come as a surprise which is Nicholas Jackson, the Chelsea striker who’s had an interesting time in his two years at Chelsea.

‘Chelsea have always been looking for either adding somewhere else in that position or replacing him totally.

‘Chelsea say they’re not actively looking to sell Jackson in this window but he’s not one of the ‘untouchable’ figures within the squad, so were a big enough offer to come in they would consider selling him.

‘The guidance I have on where Arsenal are on this is this broad range of options as deliberate, they want to ensure that they get a centre forward for Arteta in this window and don’t fail like they did last summer.

‘They will do one of these deals. They are telling the representatives of the players involved that what it will come down to is the deal that they believe makes the best sense to the club, dependent on the financial terms they can secure with the player and with certain players such as Gyokeres, the personal terms are already agreed, and what they can secure with the selling club.

‘It is very much best deal on all parameters once all parameters are assessed they are trying to get one of them in the door and nothing is settled yet.’

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