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Nicolas Jackson may leave Chelsea this summer(Image: Chris Brunskill/Getty Images)

It wasn't too long ago while he was at Bournemouth that Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes tried to sign Nicolas Jackson.

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 the striker's future in west London seeming rocky, the Blues are said to have set a price of between £80million and £100m for clubs wanting to sign him, according to Sky Sports.

Jackson reportedly 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.

The Senegalese striker's future at Stamford Bridge has been plunged into uncertainty after the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro(Image: 2025 Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos)Article continues below

Sky Sports further added that it was Liverpool's £79m agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt to sign Hugo Ekitike that acted as a benchmark for the fee Chelsea are said to demand for Jackson's signature.

It's understood that Jackson's superior goal scoring and contribution record over the past two seasons in a more highly regarded league to Ekitike has led them to come up with said figure.

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, which has only been a season and a half.

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.

Richard Hughes was inches away from signing Nicolas Jackson during his time at Bournemouth(Image: PA)

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.

However, due to a hamstring injury that was discovered in his medical, Bournemouth opted to cancel the transfer.

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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.

Maresca continues to target attacking talent with the Italian said to be interested in RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons who is expected to leave the German club this summer.

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