BUY CLAUSE FAILS: NICOLAS JACKSON SET FOR EMBARRASSING CHELSEA RETURN
Nicolas Jackson's obligation to buy at Bayern is set to fail. He needs 40 starts, but AFCON makes it impossible. His agent vows he'll never return to Chelsea.
Nicolas Jackson's move to Bayern Munich might not become permanent after all.
The 24-year-old forward joined the German champs from Chelsea this summer on loan. He pushed for the move after Chelsea tried to change their minds about letting him go.
Bayern paid a £14.2 million loan fee, with an obligation to buy for £56.2 million if he plays enough games. After Liam Delap's injury, Chelsea tried to cancel the deal, but Jackson refused to return. His agent and Bayern worked hard to smooth things over with Chelsea.
Now, it looks like he'll be back at Chelsea when the season ends because hitting that appearance target seems impossible.
Bayern president Uli Hoeness said Jackson needs to start 40 games. So far, he's only started five.
Bayern has at most 23 league games left and 12 Champions League matches. Even if he starts every game, Jackson will reach 40, but the Africa Cup of Nations is a problem.
Jackson has scored four goals for Vincent Kompany's team, but Senegal will probably call him up for the competition.
Senegal plays their first game on December 23 against Botswana, but Bayern's last game before the winter break is on December 21. Players have to be released before that date, so Jackson will miss at least one more Bayern game.
His club will be back on January 11. Senegal's last group game is December 30, but if they reach the final, they could play as late as January 18.
Also, Bayern Munich would need to play two extra Champions League matches to reach 40 starts for Jackson.
Despite losing to Arsenal, Vincent Kompany's team is third in the standings, with three favourable matches left in the league phase.
Jackson and his adviser, Diomansy Kamara, aren't worried about the appearance terms. As Daily Mail Sport reported before, they think that if Jackson scores enough goals, Bayern will find a way to sign him next summer.
Kamara said a return to Chelsea wasn't happening.
He said his relationship with (Enzo) Maresca isn't the best. Also, Chelsea allowed him to find the European level, so we're never going to bite the hand that feeds us.
He also mentioned that Jackson had a good relationship with Chelsea, but he scored 30 goals in two years, and the red cards complicated it, and Bayern has been a priority for a long time.
On Hoeness' comments, Kamara said it's a war of egos between the two clubs.
He added that it was a loan without an obligation to buy, but they pushed for it because Jackson didn't want to return to Chelsea. The clubs reached an agreement, and they discussed how many matches Jackson would have to play for an obligatory option.
Kamara stated Jackson's goal isn't to play 40 matches because if he scores 15 goals by December, they're not going to say, "Play 40 matches."
Jackson has four goals so far this season.
BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME
Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.
Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.
Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.
Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.
Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.
Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.
Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.
So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.
BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW
From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.
Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.
Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.
With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.
Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.
Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.
On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.
James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.
Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.
Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.
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