Aston Villa and Chelsea remain locked in talks over a fresh deal. The two clubs have already agreed that Villa will sign Alejandro Garnacho on loan with an obligation to buy, a move that followed Villa's record 117 million pound sale of Morgan Rogers.
According to British newspaper "Daily Mail", Villa are weighing up a move for Senegalese striker Nicolas Jackson. He joined Chelsea in 2023 but never nailed down a regular spot, then spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, who declined to sign him permanently.
How these deals are structured matters hugely to both clubs. Each must comply with UEFA's squad cost ratio regulations, as well as the financial settlement agreements for 2025. Rogers' 117 million departure is expected to hand Villa net accounting profits topping 80 million, once Middlesbrough's sell-on cut and the remaining book value from his original 2024 transfer are deducted.
Selling Garnacho directly from Chelsea to Villa within the same financial transaction, by contrast, would push UEFA to classify the operation as a "swap deal". That reduces the accounting profits both teams can record.
Complete the Garnacho deal on deadline day, the first of September, and that timeframe still falls short of the 45-day period specified. Arguing before the financial committees that the two deals are unconnected becomes harder still.
The loan-with-obligation option may also count as part of a swap deal, given that the agreement to buy came during the 45-day window from Rogers' sale. Yet the terms give Villa greater flexibility over when the deal is finalised, and that hands them more room to manoeuvre with the European Union's financial auditors.
Jackson did not travel with Chelsea's squad to Australia for pre-season, taking his holiday after his recent World Cup involvement. The Senegalese striker has worked with Villa boss Unai Emery before, during the Spaniard's time in charge of Villarreal.