It was an idea briefly explored, a conversation that soon died a death, but there was a moment last summer when Chelsea were talking about including Nicolas Jackson as part of a deal that would have taken Newcastle’s Alexander Isak in the opposite direction.
There was much admiration for Isak at Chelsea. They were keen to add a top striker to Enzo Maresca’s squad and the Sweden international was prominent in their thoughts. Was a deal possible? Newcastle had concerns regarding profitability and sustainability regulations, although they were never going to sell Isak on the cheap. The only way to make it work was to follow the route favoured by a lot of Premier League clubs: alter the fee by throwing in players as part of the bargain.
