Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson is poised to move to Bayern Munich on loan with an option to buy, while Christopher Nkunku has finalized a £36 million transfer to AC Milan.
The 27-year-old French striker Nkunku has signed a five-year deal with the Serie A club, concluding his two-year tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will receive an initial loan fee of £13 million (15 million euros) for Jackson, with Bayern holding a £56.2 million (65 million euros) option to purchase the Senegalese player.
Jackson, 24, has already agreed to a pre-contract with Bayern and has been cleared to travel to Germany to finalize the transfer, which includes a sell-on clause.
The departure of Nkunku, along with Jackson’s imminent exit, will further enhance Chelsea’s financial situation.
This summer, Chelsea has generated approximately £309 million from player sales, including add-ons, while spending around £277 million on new acquisitions.
Player sales are crucial for Chelsea this summer due to UEFA sanctions, which included a €31 million (£26.7 million) fine, as they aim to maintain a “positive transfer balance” to register new signings for the Champions League.
Nkunku scored 18 goals and provided five assists in 62 appearances for Chelsea after joining from RB Leipzig for about £52 million in 2023. He played a vital role in Chelsea’s victories in the Club World Cup and Conference League last season.
Both Nkunku and Jackson joined Chelsea in 2023 but have had their playing time reduced due to the arrivals of new signings Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
Jackson was a regular starter during his two seasons at Chelsea but has not featured since coming on as a substitute in the semi-final win over Fluminense in the Club World Cup in July.
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The former Villarreal player has a commendable record of 24 goals in 65 Premier League appearances, but he has underperformed his expected goals by seven over the last two years, ranking second for the most significant discrepancy among top-flight players.
A major factor in this has been his performance in what Opta classifies as ‘big chances.’ Jackson has converted only 18 out of 61 such opportunities (29%), a relatively low success rate compared to other leading forwards.
He was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s Club World Cup final victory over Paris St-Germain and did not play in either of their opening league matches—a goalless draw against Crystal Palace and a 5-1 win over West Ham.
Chelsea currently sits fourth in the league after two matches and will face west London rivals Fulham in Saturday’s early kick-off (12:30 BST).
Jackson’s decline began with a red card against Newcastle, which nearly jeopardized his team’s chances of finishing in the top five of the Premier League and qualifying for the Champions League.
His reckless elbow to the face of Magpies defender Sven Botman was a sign of poor discipline.
This was followed by another red card for a high foot against Flamengo in the Club World Cup, which further impacted his standing with the team.
