Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca explains Nicolas Jackson exit & opens up on text exchange ahead of swift Champions League reunion with Bayern Munich loanee

The 24-year-old swapped Chelsea for Bayern on loan earlier this month, with the move only being made possible by the Blues cancelling Marc Guiu's own loan to Sunderland in light of Liam Delap's injury. Ahead of the forward potentially facing the west London team in the Champions League on Wednesday, Maresca has lifted the lid on Jackson's departure, and more.

The Italian told reporters: "I am thankful to Nico because if we achieved what we achieved last year, it is because of all of the players including Nicolas who was with us. I texted him after he left the club to thank him for last season and wished him all the best. He is a good guy, with us he was good and working well.

"[Chelsea] bought two strikers, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, and two strikers is a good number - that is enough".

The Italian is expecting a stern examination of his Chelsea players when they travel to Bayern for their Champions League opener. They will hope Jackson, who has scored 30 goals in 81 games for the Blues and helped them win the Conference League and Club World Cup, does not come back to haunt them in this upcoming encounter.

He added: "At this moment they are one of the favourites [to win the competition] but we will try to do our best. They showed last year that they can compete in this competition and win it."

Jackson joined Bayern for a loan fee of £14 million ($19m), plus there is a £54m ($71m) conditional obligation to buy him next year. The clause supposedly requires the ex-Villarreal star to start 40 games during the 2025-26 campaign, something Bayern chief Uli Hoeness described as "impossible". The striker himself is not focused on that, but he will want to impress against parent club Chelsea this week.