Nicolas Jackson wants assurances from Xabi Alonso over his game-time and will only stay at Chelsea if he is viewed as a 'first-choice' by the new manager, according to reports.
Jackson is set to return to Stamford Bridge after spending the 2025-26 season on loan at Bayern Munich. The Senegal striker was a mainstay in the Chelsea team for two seasons following his £32m move from Villarreal, scoring 30 goals in 81 appearances.
Chelsea sanctioned Jackson's move to Bayern last summer after spending almost £100m to sign Joao Pedro from Brighton and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.
Bayern loan fails to trigger permanent move
Bayern Munich paid around £14m just to secure Jackson's services on loan and agreed to pay a further £56m to sign him permanently if certain conditions were met. But it quickly became apparent that Jackson would not activate a permanent move to Bayern Munich and the German champions opted not to renegotiate a fresh deal with Chelsea.
As a result Jackson will soon return to west London but his future is still up in the air, with three outcomes all possible. The Sun claim Jackson is 'happy' to stay at Chelsea, who recently appointed Alonso as their new manager, but only if he regains his place in the first team.
Jackson seeks guarantees from Alonso
It is claimed Jackson will seek assurances from Alonso over his game-time at Chelsea and will look for another loan or a permanent transfer if he does not get the answer he wants. Chelsea are planning talks with Jackson's representatives as they weigh up whether to sell a player who last summer attracted interest from multiple domestic and foreign clubs.
One of Jackson's replacements, Liam Delap, endured a miserable first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring just two goals in all competitions. But fellow summer signing Joao Pedro was one of the few Chelsea players to impress across the campaign, with the Brazilian hitting 20 goals.
Jackson just about managed double figures during his season-long loan at Bayern, scoring 11 goals in 34 appearances as he played back-up to England captain Harry Kane.
Merson urges Chelsea to keep Jackson
Paul Merson criticised Chelsea's decision to offload Jackson last summer and recently urged Alonso to reintegrate him into his squad at Stamford Bridge.
'They need players and they need a clear-out,' Merson said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. 'I would get Nicolas Jackson back, I would rip Jackson back.'
'I've said it before, Palmer made Jackson and Jackson made Palmer. Palmer's not on that plane [to the World Cup] because Jackson's not been there.'
'Liam Delap is out of his depth and Joao Pedro wants to come this way [towards the midfield] and it closes everything down, he's more of a No. 10 really.'
