Jackson’s Future at Bayern Munich Uncertain as Chelsea Awaits

omidbasir- According to The Times, Nicolas Jackson is anticipated to return to Chelsea in June as he has not fulfilled the necessary appearances for Bayern Munich to activate the obligation-to-buy clause in his loan agreement. The Bundesliga leaders are reportedly “unlikely” to pursue a separate permanent transfer arrangement.

The 24-year-old striker must achieve 40 appearances, with a minimum of 45 minutes played in each match. Currently, he has only made 22 appearances for Bayern, meeting the minutes requirement in just seven of those outings. Furthermore, his club season was interrupted by participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, where he played five matches during Senegal’s championship run.

Bayern Munich initially paid a loan fee of £14 million ($19 million) for Jackson, with a potential additional payment of £56 million ($76 million) contingent on meeting the minutes target. However, this outcome now appears unlikely. Last summer, Jackson attracted interest from clubs in Spain and Italy; nevertheless, Chelsea is not dismissing the possibility of retaining him, especially with Liam Rosenior replacing Enzo Maresca as head coach at Stamford Bridge.

To date, Jackson has scored only five goals for Bayern, raising concerns about his ability to perform consistently at the highest level.

Despite his challenges in Germany, coach Vincent Kompany has stated that Jackson has made a positive contribution to the team. “He’s helped us a lot. Of course, with Harry Kane up front, you have a bit of competition, and that’s part of the game,” Kompany remarked in December. “As a coach, it’s a real luxury to see how Nicolas is handling that. What many people don’t see is what Nicolas does in training and every time he comes on. Hopefully, he’ll continue to capitalize on the chances he gets.”

However, Jackson has found himself overshadowed by Kane since returning from AFCON duty. He has only played 37 minutes across Bayern’s last four Bundesliga matches, with his last goal for the club occurring back in November. It remains uncertain whether he will receive any playing time when Bayern hosts Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, as Kompany’s side currently holds a six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.