Chelsea set transfer price for forward Liverpool chief agreed deal to sign

The future of Nicolas Jackson at Chelsea remains uncertain after the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro as the Blues have reportedly set their price for the Senegalese striker

The Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes tried to sign Nicolas Jackson while in charge of transfers at Bournemouth. That move didn't materialise, but now the Chelsea forward could be on the move again.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed two respectable seasons at Stamford Bridge, scoring 31 goals in 80 games across all competitions. Yet doubt has remained over whether Jackson can become the striker needed to fire Chelsea to the biggest trophies in the game, leading Enzo Maresca to sign Liam Delap and Joao Pedro this summer.

Jackson saw minimal action during Chelsea's triumph of the FIFA Club World Cup earlier this month, having not featured at all in the quarter-final against Palmeiras and the final against Paris Saint-Germain, with Joao Pedro now first choice.

With the striker's future in west London seeming rocky, the Blues have outlined their price to sell the ex-Villarreal man - a cool £80million.

Jackson has interest from clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia, but with eight years left on his contract, Chelsea remain under no pressure to sell the striker. Among his potential suitors are Manchester United, who've allegedly contacted his agents to sound out a possible move.

Sky Sports add that it was Liverpool's £79m agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt to sign Hugo Ekitike that acted as a benchmark for the fee Chelsea are demanding for Jackson's signature. Jackson's superior goal contributions over the past two seasons - in a league Blues bosses believe is tougher than the Bundesliga - has led them to their assessment.

Jackson has racked up 34 goal contributions over the last two Premier League seasons, five more than Ekitike's 29 during his entire spell with Frankfurt.

And while the Frenchman is set to be the Reds' new striker, Jackson was once a top target for Hughes during his days as the sporting director of Bournemouth.

During Jackson's tenure at Villarreal, he caught the eye of Hughes who agreed a £20.3m fee to sign for the striker for the Cherries in January 2023. It was another south coast club in Southampton that looked set to buy Jackson but a move failed to materialise thanks to Hughes' intervention.

A deal looked almost complete following footage of the striker boarding a private jet to the UK in order to wrap up negotiations. However, due to a hamstring injury that was discovered in his medical, Bournemouth opted to cancel the transfer.

Given their position in a relegation battle, the club decided against waiting for Jackson's return from injury in the worry that they'd lose their Premier League status.

That didn't happen either, but come the following summer Hughes missed out, and Jackson went to west London instead.