Villarreal chief Roig Negueroles has confirmed that Chelsea are signing Nicolas Jackson for far less than his release clause suggests. The 21-year-old striker has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League for a while now following his impressive performances in La Liga.
Jackson, who sees his contract at the Estadio de la Cerámica expire in 2026, featured 26 times for the Yellow Submarine in the Spanish top-flight last season, directly contributing towards 16 goals. His impressive performances initially courted the interest of several mid-table Premier League sides, but he picked up a knock and therefore failed a medical with Bournemouth.
While there were fears that Jackson would struggle to recover from a hamstring injury, the period on the sidelines seemed to rejuvenate his performances. The Senegal international proceeded to find the net ten times in his final 12 games, priding himself as one of La Liga's most clinical finishers.
After reportedly agreeing personal terms, activating his €35million (£30m) release clause and booking a medical, Chelsea look set to wrap up a shrewd deal for Jackson. While many supporters may have rather seen the Blues pursue Victor Osimhen or Harry Kane, the Villarreal chief has insisted the Senegalese star could be worth just as much as the aforementioned duo one day.
"Jackson is a player with great potential, and he may be worth £70m in the future," Negueroles told Spanish outlet AS. "Now this is the contract that he has and the clause that he has, and I don’t think that amounts like that should be underestimated."
Then, Negueroles described Jackson's spike in form following his return from injury as a surprise. He added: ""He’s been very impressive, although being a forward who scores so many goals creates so much more of an impact.
"He was a player whose potential we saw but who we knew was lacking goals, like he had in the academy. What he has done these last 10 games has been spectacular and in a way unexpected."
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As quoted by One Football, Unai Emery has already explained what makes Jackson a special talent. The former Villarreal boss said: "He is a player who is in the process of growing.
"There are times when some players have to go elsewhere to grow, but we are betting on him because his contribution is very high. He must get experience in front of goal and this is a learning process.
"We need to establish young players and we want to bet on them. Two years ago [Alex] Baena had the same problem as Jackson."
