One of the most dramatic final stories of the summer transfer window was undoubtedly Nicolas Jackson and his exit from Chelsea.
The Senegal striker, who was heavily linked with a move away for weeks after Enzo Maresca brought in Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, was initially on the verge of signing for Bayern Munich in a record loan deal, which included an ‘option’ to buy, with just days to go before the deadline.
Joao Pedro
Noni Madueke
Jamie Gittens
João Félix
Jorrel Hato
Djordje Petrovic
Liam Delap
Lesley Ugochukwu
Dario Essugo
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Mamadou Sarr
Renato Veiga
Estevao
Armando Broja
Kendry Paez
Carney Chukwuemeka
Alejandro Garnacho
Mathis Amougou
Basir Humphreys
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Marcus Bettinelli
Christopher Nkunku
Nicolas Jackson (obligation to buy in 2026)
Alfie Gilchrist
Lucas Bergstrom
Ben Chilwell
However, Delap’s potentially serious hamstring injury, sustained during their 2-0 victory over west London rivals Fulham, put a dramatic halt to the move and Chelsea planned to recall Jackson — despite the forward already landing in Munich to undergo the formalities of his transfer.
It was a very messy situation, and one which will have left Jackson, not to mention his representatives, fuming behind-the-scenes.
Luckily for the 24-year-old, Bayern managed to renegotiate their deal and convinced Chelsea to let him join Vincent Kompany’s side after all, with BlueCo instead opting to recall Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland.
It is mind-boggling how one injury could cause such a huge ripple effect, but in the process, Chelsea managed to secure better terms for Jackson’s departure.
Bayern paid the highest ever loan fee recorded for Jackson at around £14 million, which was part of their first agreement, but to sway Chelsea into letting the African leave, the Bundesliga champions agreed to turn their ‘option to buy’ at the end of his temporary spell into an ‘obligation to buy’.
This means Allianz Arena sporting directors Christoph Freund and Max Eberl are almost guaranteed to trigger Jackson’s £56 million clause to sign him permanently next summer, and if you include the loan fee, Chelsea stand to earn a total of around £70 million from this whirlwind of a transfer.
How Nicolas Jackson could still return to Chelsea
However, the key phrase is ‘almost guaranteed’, as explained by journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack.
An imperative condition of Jackson’s obligation to buy clause has now emerged, with Bayern only forced to activate it if the former Villarreal striker makes a certain number of appearances in Germany this season, among other things.
“Bayern have an obligation to buy Jackson in the summer, but certain conditions need to be met for this to happen, such as a big number of appearances,” said Phillips.
“But if Bayern don’t sign him, I don’t see a world in which he returns to play for Chelsea, I only see another move being sourced for him instead. I believe the Jackson and Chelsea story is fully over and actually has been for a while. You cannot keep a player who does not want to be here.”
Jackson scored 13 goals and six assists in 37 appearances for Chelsea last term, including a strike in their Conference League final win over Real Betis, but managed just one goal in the Premier League since the turn of 2025.
He was also sent off in the Club World Cup against Flamengo, and from this point onward, not to mention Chelsea’s deals for Delap and Pedro, Jackson’s exit started to gain traction.