Tottenham Hotspur have joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, according to the Daily Mail.
Stamford Bridge executives have placed a £65m price tag on the 25-year-old forward, who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Spurs have prioritised strengthening their attack in the closing weeks of the summer window, having already reinforced other areas.
They have now turned to Jackson despite their interest in Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, who is currently not for sale.
Spurs will face stiff competition from Villa, where manager Unai Emery is leading efforts to reunite with Jackson.
Emery previously coached the striker at Villarreal and values his direct running, pressing energy and versatility as ideal qualities to strengthen Villa’s forward options alongside Ollie Watkins.
Villa have already held preliminary talks with Jackson’s representatives following Morgan Rogers’ departure. Chelsea are open to sanctioning a deal if their £65m threshold is met.
Jackson scored 11 goals in 34 matches across all competitions last season, but returns to Stamford Bridge facing intense competition for places following the arrivals of Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha.
They have strengthened a striker group that already includes Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Marc Guiu.
With Chelsea aiming to streamline their squad and generate transfer capital, a permanent departure is a strong possibility.
While interested clubs currently view the £65m asking price as steep, negotiations are expected before the end of the tranfser window to test Chelsea’s resolve.
