Chelsea star left out of squad for pre-season clash against Bayer Leverkusen amid transfer exit rumors: Reports

Nicolas Jackson has been left out of Chelsea’s squad for their pre-season friendly match against Bayer Leverkusen, with the club looking to part ways with the player. The 24-year-old has recently found himself on the chopping block at the west London club of late after being deemed surplus to requirements.

According to the Daily Mail, Jackson trained alone at Cobham today while every other player was focused on their clash with Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge. The Senegalese forward had reportedly told Chelsea’s hierarchy of his decision to seek more playing time elsewhere.

Jackson has been linked with several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Of the three, Newcastle appear the most likely destination after missing out on RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. He has also been linked with Bayern Munich, although the Bundesliga club’s sporting director, Max Eberl, has denied any interest.

Chelsea have signed a number of players this summer and have offset much of their spending by selling several first-team players. So far, they have sold Djordje Petrovic, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Armando Broja.

According to the Telegraph (via Fabrizio Romano), Chelsea are seeking £80 for Jackson, who joined from Villarreal in 2023 for a reported fee of €37 million. If he reemians in the Premier League, he will miss the first match of the 2025/26 season after being sent off against Newcastle in May for elbowing Sven Botman.

“He brings something different” – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants to see Nicolas Jackson remain at Chelsea

Former Chelsea forward Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes the club should keep Nicolas Jackson despite the uncertainty over his future. The Dutchman stated that Jackson brings something different, adding that even with two new strikers signed this summer, the Blues need several options upfront.

Speaking ahead of the Leverkusen game, Hasselbaink told Channel 5 (via Metro):

“I’ve always said that I really like him [Jackson], he brings something different. Yes, they’ve bought in two strikers. But I think a big club like Chelsea needs several strikers on the books. He’s not going to play as much as last year, but I still think that you can use him. But obviously his value has gone up since they have bought it because he’s done extremely well. So if it makes sense for the club to sell them, they will.”

On Christopher Nkunku, Hasselbaink said:

“He’s going to want to play. He’s got [Cole] Palmer in front of him in his position, so it’s going to be difficult for him. I think he’s a player that that wants to play. So he’s going to have to look somewhere else.”

Meanwhile, when manager Enzo Maresca was asked whether Jackson and Nkunku’s absence against Leverkusen was transfer-related, he said both remain part of the squad, adding that he is looking forward to how to situation will pan out.