In the summer transfer window, Chelsea not only brought in a number of new faces but also trimmed down their squad by parting ways with several players. This included some high-profile names like Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Djordje Petrovic, Joao Felix, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, and Nicolas Jackson, among others.
All of the above mentioned players have departed permanently, except Jackson, who after a long-drawn saga joined Bayern Munich on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. It was one of the last moves Chelsea completed before the window closed.
However, there are growing concerns regarding this particular deal and why it might not have been in Chelsea's best interest. As it turns out, some pretty unrealistic conditions need to be met for the obligation to be triggered.
Jackson moved to the Bundesliga giants for a reported loan fee of €16.5 million. The obligation to buy following that one-year stint appears to be heavily in Bayern Munich’s favour and may be difficult for the player to meet.
Clause in Nicolas Jackson’s loan deal might lead to Chelsea return
According to Georg Holzner, of the 40 games that Jackson would have to play from the start, the DFB-Pokal does not count. So only league and Champions League matches count. That would be a maximum of 49 matches, if they make it all the way to the final.
As of now, Jackson is yet to debut for his new club, and it will be a significant challenge for him to secure regular minutes. Bayern Munich already have Harry Kane at striker and Luis Diaz on the left, who is also capable of playing through the middle. It is hard to see the Senegalese international starting 40 times this season. Even half of that would be impressive.
Jackson has been a regular for Chelsea in the past two seasons. It’s true that the club have recently brought in Liam Delap and Joao Pedro for the centre-forward role, but that doesn’t fully explain his move to Germany, as he faces a similar pecking order situation at Bayern Munich as well.
It is unlikely that the obligation will become active. And if they want to sign Jackson permanently, it's likely that they will attempt to negotiate a lower final fee. So, in essence, Chelsea cancelled the loan deal after Delap's injury only to accept pretty much the same deal a couple of days later.