Nicolas Jackson and Chelsea will evaluate their options together in the summer when the 24-year-old striker is due to return from his season-long loan at Bayern Munich.
The German giants agreed to pay £14.3million to have him for 2025-26. The agreement included a £56.2m obligation to buy if he reached a certain number of appearances but that is not set to be triggered, nor are Chelsea anticipating Bayern will pursue a separate permanent deal.
There was interest in Jackson from other clubs in Italy and Spain and also the Premier League last summer.
Chelsea plan to assess the best way forward for everyone at the end of this season, including whether they should seek a sale again or if he should stay as a member of Liam Rosenior’s squad.
Jackson’s relationship with Enzo Maresca broke down, but Rosenior has shown a willingness to give players a clean slate since becoming the new Blues boss.
All options are on the table, sources say, with Jackson focusing on trying to seize his opportunities to impress with Bayern in the meantime in the build-up to the summer.
He was left out of the Bayern squad for their German Cup clash with RB Leipzig last week, then an 86th-minute substitute in their Bundesliga victory over Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Jackson insisted on his transfer to Bayern in the summer despite Chelsea looking at cancelling the deal at the eleventh hour when Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury. Delap pulled up with his issue on the same day that Jackson was travelling to Munich for his medical.
A recall for Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland, along with late negotiations led by Jackson’s agent Ali Barat, saw the Bayern move go through despite the obstacles. He has scored five goals in all competitions under Vincent Kompany.