Nicolas Jackson tells Chelsea he wants to leave following transfer statement

Nicolas Jackson has told Chelsea he wants to LEAVE Stamford Bridge. Jackson, 24, was left out of the Blues squad for Friday night's friendly with Bayer Leverkusen and trained alone at Cobham durign the day after making his desire known.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca admitted on Thursday that the Senegalese striker - his first-choice frontman last term - could leave the club before the end of the summer transfer window.

Maresca stated: "He’s okay. When the transfer window is open, unfortunately or fortunately, anything can happen. This also involves Nico’s situation. At the moment we also had two strikers arrive, both of them in the USA, Joao (Pedro) and Liam (Delap). So we will see what happens.”

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Jackson was signed for £32m from Villareal in June 2023 and penned a contract extension until 2033 last season. But the Blues have been ready to sell if any club makes a big offer.

And now Jackson has told club chiefs he wants to explore a move away, and Stamford Bridge bosses are set to help him find a move that works for all parties.

That could well be Newcastle United, who are seeking striking reinforcements and have missed out on a number of targets - including Joao Pedro - already. With Alexander Isak keen to join Liverpool, Jackson may well be the ideal solution.

Ironically, Jackson is suspended for the first game of the Premier League season after being sent off during the May fixture against Newcastle at St James's Park, for elbowing Magpies defender Sven Botman.

Jackson has scored 30 goals in 81 games for the Blues over the past two seasons, with 24 in 65 Premier League outings.

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