Newcastle United are now thought to consider Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson a “serious target” to boost their depth in the No. 9 role.
The Magpies look set to miss out on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Šeško, who is edging closer to joining Manchester United instead. The Slovenian has been reported as wanting to sign with the Red Devils in a deal starting at £65 million ($86.6 million), leaving Newcastle to reassess and look elsewhere.
Jackson—who is thought to be viewed by many clubs as a “solid”, if not outstanding, option—had been speculatively linked with Manchester United until Šeško emerged as their priority target, having also briefly considered Ollie Watkins. Newcastle now pick up that baton, according to The Telegraph.
The idea at Newcastle, despite ongoing Liverpool interest in Alexander Isak and the Swedish striker informing the club of his desire to explore a transfer, is for a new recruit—like Jackson—to complement and support Isak, rather than replace him
That was the intention when Hugo Ekitiké—now at Liverpool—was being pursued, and it hasn’t changed. After missing Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia and training alone in Spain, officially under the label of managing injury recovery, Isak has returned to Tyneside only to be forced into isolation on home soil.
Jackson is thought to be available in what remains of the summer transfer window, having seen his starting place at Chelsea from last season come under serious threat from the recent arrivals of Liam Delap and João Pedro in west London. He is potentially now third choice for boss Enzo Maresca.
Earlier this summer, Chelsea were thought to be valuing Jackson at £80–100 million ($106.6–133.2 million). Realistically, any fee would likely be in similar territory to the £60 million ($79.9 million) deal that took Pedro to Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion. Even at the lower price, the Blues stand to make a huge profit on a player signed for little over half that amount only two years ago.
In two seasons as a Chelsea player, Jackson has scored 30 goals in all competitions—24 of which have been in 65 Premier League appearances. He first emerged at Villarreal and a few short months before joining Chelsea was a failed medical away from becoming a Bournemouth player.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Newcastle ‘Target’ Premier League Striker After Benjamin Sesko Failure.