Xabi Alonso is facing a host of tough decisions this summer in the upcoming transfer window – and one Chelsea striker might be at the forefront of the new manager’s mind
Nicolas Jackson could be handed a lifeline at Chelsea this summer with new manager Xabi Alonso prepared to give the striker a second chance at Stamford Bridge.
Jackson moved to Bayern Munich on loan last season after falling out with former head coach Enzo Maresca, sources say, but the Blues will welcome the Senegal international back with open arms this summer. While we cannot say with absolute certainty that Jackson will be playing his football in west London next term, Chelsea will give the 24-year-old forward the opportunity to prove himself under Alonso.
Chelsea agreed a deal with Bayern last summer for Jackson to move to the Allianz Arena on a season-long loan and – if the striker made a certain number of appearances (believed to be somewhere around the 40-mark), then an obligation to buy would have been triggered. Bayern paid the Blues just over £14million in a straight loan fee and the obligation would have brought the whole deal over the £70m mark.
Jackson, though, did not hit that number for the German champions, who would have liked to keep him, football.london understands, but did not think the deal was good value for money. Now, at the start of a new chapter in Chelsea’s history, there is a chance – against all odds – that Jackson will be a part of it.
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Alonso, though, faces some tough decisions. Emmanuel Emegha will arrive from Strasbourg to add to Chelsea’s striker options ahead of the new season, though it is not known yet whether the Netherlands international will be with the Blues next term. A loan move could be on the cards given the amount of options Alonso will be working with in the No.9 department.
Marc Guiu is expected to depart, perhaps on loan, this summer. The Spaniard was supposed to spend the 2025/26 season on loan with Sunderland but due to Jackson moving to Bayern, a move that came a bit out of nowhere, the west Londoners recalled the striker.
Sources close to Liam Delap say he wants to continue at Stamford Bridge despite a really difficult debut season with the club. After being signed for £30m last summer, Delap scored just twice in the 2025/26 campaign and has been linked with a move away, however the striker wants to prove himself in west London.
In contrast, Joao Pedro shone for Chelsea in his debut term at the club. The Brazil international, signed from Brighton for a £60m package last summer, netted 20 goals in 2025/26 and is now, unsurprisingly, considered ‘untouchable’ by the club after rumours of Barcelona’s interested circulated in recent weeks.
For Alonso, there will be a focus on adding to the squad in his first summer as manager, but he will also need to make some brutal decisions about some players and their futures.
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