Chelsea striker Jackson joins Bayern Munich in £70.5m deal

Nicolas Jackson scored 24 goals in 65 Premier League appearances for Chelsea

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has joined Bayern Munich on loan, with the German champions having an obligation to buy him for £56.2m if he makes a set number of appearances.

Bayern will pay an initial £14.3m to take the 24-year-old on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

Personal terms are already in place for a future five-year permanent contract for Jackson, whose deal with Bayern was in doubt after Chelsea instructed him to return when Liam Delap was injured in Saturday's Premier League win over Fulham.

The Senegal forward joined Chelsea from £32m from Villarreal in 2023 and scored 30 goals in 81 matches.

"I'm really happy to now be part of this great club," said Jackson. "Bayern is one of the best clubs in the world.

"Everyone knows the names of the legends who've played here and knows that this club stands for the greatest success.

"I've got big goals and dreams here and will give my all to help Bayern win further titles."

Jackson had been an automatic starter for Chelsea until his red card at St James's Park in April - his second dismissal of the season - which left the club without a striker as they were competing for a place in the Champions League.

He was then sent off within four minutes of coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 group-stage defeat by Flamengo at the Club World Cup, Fifa's expanded competition which Chelsea ultimately won. Strikers Delap and Joao Pedro arrived to replace him during the tournament.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation said Jackson ultimately lost the trust of manager Enzo Maresca and some of the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge, prompting him to seek a move.

It was a shift in mood as Maresca said earlier in April that the frontman was his "perfect number nine" and wanted "a copy of Nico" rather than to replace him.

Jackson could face Chelsea on September 17 (20:00 BST) in Munich as Uefa rules allow loanees to face their parent clubs in the Champions League.