Four-nil at Brighton, and the chequebook came out
Aston Villa were taken apart on the south coast, 4-0 at Brighton on opening weekend. The board did not sit on it. Foot Mercato reports the Birmingham club are close to wrapping up a deal for Nicolas Jackson.
The fee lands around 70 million euros with bonuses. Chelsea had opened at roughly 75 million and are said to be ready to accept. Atletico Madrid tried the loan route earlier in the summer, but Chelsea were not interested in a straight temporary move.
Jackson is 26. Bayern Munich held an option at the end of his loan spell and let it lapse. So the Senegal striker is back in west London, at a club that has quietly stopped planning around him.
Try it for $0.99.
Four regulars gone, and Watkins pushing for the exit
The urgency is not hard to trace. Two fourth-place finishes and a Europa League title under Unai Emery, then the squad began to come apart at the seams. Youri Tielemans to Manchester United. Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. Ezri Konsa to Arsenal. Lucas Digne to PSG.
Up front the picture is worse. Ollie Watkins wants Saudi Arabia and was left out of the squad for the opener by his own manager. That leaves Johan Manzambi, the World Cup breakout, and Alejandro Garnacho, on loan from Chelsea. Two forwards for a Champions League campaign.
Palace said no to 22 million, and Villa are still calling
Jackson is not the only file open. Villa are also chasing Jean-Philippe Mateta, and an opening offer of 22 million euros came straight back from Crystal Palace.
Arsenal, the defending champions, visit Villa Park in the next league round. The Champions League draw is Thursday night. Emery would rather know what his attack looks like before either of those arrives.
Discover the rest of the football news on our mathodds website and app!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply