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Chelsea have now reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign a rising Ligue 1 talent, who’s been billed as the second coming of William Saliba.

Maresca: Chelsea must "switch off" before Arsenal clash

Chelsea couldn’t have asked for a better warm-up before their crucial clash against Arsenal this weekend. The Blues brushed Barcelona aside as Estevao Willian stole the show in front of Lamine Yamal. Two of the world’s best teenagers commenced battle at Stamford Bridge and it was the Brazilian who came out on top.

Now, Enzo Maresca’s side have the small matter of playing host to the Premier League leaders. Victory would see Chelsea move to within three points of Arsenal and lay down a marker in the title race. Defeat, meanwhile, would leave them nine points adrift of their London rivals.

Maresca will be well aware of the importance of Sunday’s game, but has told his players to “switch off” in the build-up – telling reporters: “I’ve told the players, next 48 hours, completely switch off,” he said. “Have a rest. Recover the energy.

“Because next Sunday we have Arsenal. My message after the game was just: recover the energy. That, in this moment, is the most important thing.

“Then, on Friday, we start to think about Arsenal. We need to keep the momentum because it’s very nice — and it’s much easier to recover energy when you win games.”

23-year-old wants to leave Chelsea in January as clubs start to make contact

He’s eyeing the exit door.

By
Emilio Galantini

Nov 27, 2025

It’s also worth noting that it’s not just on the pitch that Chelsea and Arsenal are set to do battle. In the transfer market, the two clubs are also reportedly set to go head-to-head to welcome a defensive reinforcement.

Recent reports have claimed that the Blues have now joined the race to sign Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet in an attempt to deal Arsenal a frustrating blow.

Chelsea join race to sign Jeremy Jacquet

As reported by Caught Offside, Chelsea have joined the race to sign Jacquet alongside Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and RB Leipzig.

The 20-year-old defender will reportedly be available for as little as €30m (£27m) in 2026, handing those at Stamford Bridge a crucial opportunity to reinforce their backline at a bargain price.

Dubbed the next Saliba by The Standard when Arsenal’s interest emerged in August, Jacquet’s rise has been coming for a few years. His old development coach at Rennes, Pierre-Emmanuel Bordeau, even went as far to describe the defender as the “technical leader of his generation”.

It’s easy to see why comparisons have been made with Saliba. Statistically speaking, Jacquet has even outperformed the Arsenal star out of possession so far this season, whilst also impressing on the ball.

It would be quite the move from Chelsea if they didn’t just land the next Saliba, but a player capable of exceeding Mikel Arteta’s top defender in years to come. Amid so much competition for Jacquet’s signature, though, the Blues will have to act quick.

Shades of Estevao: Chelsea have another "left-footed magician" out on loan

MacKenzie Gore was dealing on Opening Day and managed to match an MLB legend in the process.

Gore made the start for the Washington Nationals against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday and was nothing short of dominant. In six innings, the 26-year-old allowed no runs, one hit, and no walks while striking out 13.

According to Sarah Langs, since 1900, the only pitchers to rack up 13 strikeouts with no walks on Opening Day are J.R. Richard in 1980 and Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in 1967.

Here's where things get a bit crazy though. In that start, Gibson threw a complete game shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants, but he allowed five hits. In his game for the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Richard allowed two hits and an earned run in eight innings. Gore only allowed one hit and no runs, though he only went six innings.

Gore is a former top prospect who arrived in Washington as part of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres. He has yet to put it all together as control struggles have plagued him, but his stuff has never been in question and he looked phenomenal on Thursday.

Things are finally looking up for Sheffield Wednesday and three takeover candidates have now reportedly taken a £50m step towards purchasing the club.

The Dejphon Chansiri era is over at long last and those at Hilsborough can finally breathe again. Fans have flocked to the club shop in support of their side and both staff and players have even been paid a day early.

Even when sat on -6 points in the Championship after entering administration, the atmosphere at Hillsborough this weekend is set to represent a club coming together to at least celebrate the end of the worst times.

A statement from Kris Wigfield, of joint-administrators Begbies Traynor, thanked fans for how they’ve supported the club and played a major part in their successful attempt to pay players and staff on time.

Survival on the pitch is largely unthinkable given that they sit 14 points adrift at the bottom of the Championship, but there’s been major concern that the Owls wouldn’t survive off the pitch in recent months. Now, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Wigfield revealed earlier this week: “As always, you get a lot of interested parties that probably aren’t going to meet the criteria, but within the numerous inquiries we’ve had, we certainly think that there are already four or five interested parties that look like the real deal.

John Textor makes Sheffield Wednesday contact as EFL prepare to relax key rule

The Owls entered administration on Friday.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 29, 2025

“There are two criteria that new owners basically need to satisfy to then open dialogue and there to be an opportunity where they can make an offer.”

What’s more, reports are now suggesting that three interested parties have taken a crucial £50m step towards buying the club.

Sheffield Wednesday candidates take £50m step

According to BBC Sheffield’s Rob Staton, three candidates have now given proof of funds to Sheffield Wednesday worth £50m in what is a vital step towards a potential takeover.

It remains to be seen who those three candidates are, but two names that have been mentioned this week are John McEvoy and John Textor.

The latter sold his Crystal Palace shares in the summer and could now make a return to English football after reportedly making contact with those at Hillsborough. That said, the Owls should act with plenty of caution after the American billionaire very nearly took Lyon to Ligue 2 thanks to financial issues.

McEvoy, meanwhile, represents more of an unknown option. The American owns ice hockey clubs and baseball clubs and would be stepping into football for the first time. Alas, with more expected to provide proof of funds, he may have to get in line to buy Sheffield Wednesday.

John McEvoy: Who is the American billionaire looking to buy Sheffield Wednesday?

A Champions League record long held by Manchester United legend David Beckham has been taken by Club Brugge star Carlos Forbs following his sparkling goalscoring display against Barcelona. The 21-year-old scored twice and bagged an assist as the Belgian side held the Spanish giants to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling encounter. And he notched a bit of history along the way, too.

• Forbs runs Barcelona ragged

  The Portugal winger put in the best performance of his young career as he tore Barcelona to shreds in the Champions League on Wednesday night. His display even stole the headlines away from Lamine Yamal, who scored a stunning goal of his own. But this game belonged to Forbs at Jan Breydelstadion.

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• Beckham record tumbles

  For more than 25 years, Inter Miami co-owner Beckham has held the record for being the youngest player to both score and assist against Barcelona in the Champions League. But Forbs has beaten the ex-United man's personal best by nearly two years with his virtuoso display.

• Blow for Barca as credentials take another hit

  After reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, alongside winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Barcelona had high hopes for this campaign. But at present, they are languishing behind bitter rivals Real Madrid in the league and have had one or two setbacks in this term's Champions League. After losing to holders Paris Saint-Germain last time out, a win at Brugge was top of their agenda. But this draw leaves them 11th in the table, just outside the automatic spots to reach the last 16 of the competition. At this rate, they will have to make do with the play-offs, unless they win a few more games.

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  What comes next for Barcelona?

  Hansi Flick's Barca will hope to return to winning ways in their next Champions League encounter when they take on Club World Cup champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on November 25. Before then, though, they travel to Celta Vigo on Sunday in La Liga, followed by a home match against Athletic Club on November 22.

Liverpool are said to be interested in signing a “tough-tackling” defender, but the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid are also mentioned for the player who has been compared to Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool injury concern before Man Utd

The Reds’ international players will return to club duty this week, as they prepare for a huge Premier League clash at home to Man Utd on Sunday afternoon.

One player who is facing a race against time to be fit for the game is Ibrahima Konate, with the 26-year-old returning to Liverpool early from France duty, with his international side revealing his injury: “Injured in the right quadriceps during his last match with Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate has followed a treatment and protocol since his arrival this Monday but will not be able to take his place against Iceland.”

This is clearly a concern heading into a big game, even though Konate has struggled for top form so far this season, and the Reds’ centre-back options are starting to feel worryingly sparse.

New signing Giovanni Leoni is already out for the season with ACL damage, while Liverpool also cruelly missed out on signing Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on deadline day, so they do feel slightly short at the heart of their defence.

Liverpool "like" £50m+ Bundesliga defender

According to journalist Mark Brus for Caught Offside, Liverpool are interested in signing £52m-rated RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba, with some other huge clubs also in the mix.

“Lukeba has a release clause worth €90m, which clubs see as too high, but it’s largely symbolic anyway – the real asking price is more like €60m. Liverpool like him, but you can add Chelsea, Man United, Newcastle and Real Madrid to that list.”

Liverpool need to focus on a new centre-back signing next summer, and frankly, an addition there could be needed in the January transfer window if their injury problems persist.

In Lukeba, the Reds would be signing a fantastic young player who is already a key man for Leipzig, making 79 appearances and also winning six caps for France.

At 22, he is playing with a level of maturity beyond his years, with Max Eberl heaping praise on his ability: “He is left footed and can play as a left-sided centre-back in both a back-three and a back-four. Castello’s main strengths are his tough-tackling nature, his pace, his positioning and how good he is on the ball.”

The versatility that Eberl points out is a big positive with Lukeba, giving Liverpool depth in various areas, and he should be looked at as a leading centre-back option. In fact, Football Transfers say he is similar to Reds icon Van Dijk, which is an eye-catching comparison.

National team manager defends Liverpool star as key fact exposes real "truth"

He’s shared his verdict.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 12, 2025

That said, Guehi still feels like the No.1 choice, having been so close to joining last month, and the hope is that they are still his preferred club, rather than the many others who have been linked with signing the England international.

Heading into added on time at Fulham, Leeds United looked as if they were going to have to make do with a second successive stalemate in the Premier League.

A point would have likely been taken as well after a valiant defensive display in West London saw Joe Rodon win a commanding five aerial duels, while Karl Darlow in between the sticks stayed alert throughout, with three big saves registered.

Unfortunately, an own-goal right at the death from Gabriel Gudmundsson would hand the Cottagers all three points, as the summer purchase from Lille accidentally placed a header past Darlow – after stopping a Fulham attacker from connecting with a late corner-kick – to break Leeds hearts.

This sucker punch shouldn’t detract too much from the otherwise committed defensive display on Leeds’ travels, but the loss did definitely highlight the lack of cutting edge Daniel Farke’s relegation-threatened side possesses in attack, as another goal-shy performance was served up.

Leeds' poor displays in attack

Since the opening day victory over Everton at Elland Road, Leeds have failed to score a single goal from open play, with that worrying trend continuing away at Marco Silva’s fortunate hosts.

Not even the added presence of new signing Noah Okafor to the starting XI could inspire an improved performance in the forward areas, with the former AC Milan winger failing to hit a single on-target effort at Bernd Leno’s goal, before being hauled off just shy of the 70-minute mark.

Brenden Aaronson did show occasional glimpses of quality down Okafor’s opposing right-hand side, with one big chance unfortunately squandered by the hot-and-cold American, but it was another flat display that will seriously worry Leeds in their hunt for more wins near the foot of the division.

In particular, one underperformer up top at Craven Cottage will have irked Farke to the point where he feels his spot in the first team is no longer concrete, with a huge clash at the bottom of the table coming Leeds’ way next against Wolverhampton Wanderers, demanding a more potent display in the attacking areas.

The "bang average" Leeds star who must now be axed

It’s not as if Fulham blew away the visitors either, with Silva’s men being restricted to just five efforts all afternoon due to a tight-knit Leeds defence routinely keeping them at bay.

However, there is always a possibility that a side will come back into a game if your own finishing is so wasteful, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin endured another frustrating day at the office, leading the line for the away team.

Having missed four big chances on his debut as Leeds were dumped out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, Calvert-Lewin would have been looking for a swift change of fortunes, lining up for Farke’s men on Saturday. Instead, the ex-Everton marksman would trudge off the pitch after 69 minutes, looking rather dejected by his unmemorable efforts.

Indeed, the 28-year-old’s overall numbers from the 1-0 defeat don’t paint a pretty picture, with Calvert-Lewin giving up the ball every three touches, just one glaring statistic of many that makes for some pretty grim reading.

Minutes played

69

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

15

Shots on target

0

Accurate passes

5/8 (63%)

Total duels won

6/6

Possession lost

5

The brand-new number nine did throw himself about valiantly with all six of his duels won, but it’s clear that Calvert-Lewin is still bereft of confidence in front of goal, with zero shots on target being registered at Leno’s goal, despite his commanding presence in the air.

His passive showing in terms of peppering Leno’s net would even see Sky Sports’ Michael Dawson, when speaking on Gillette Soccer Saturday, state that Calvert-Lewin was “bang average” throughout, with a starting spot now not looking so secure.

Further handed a low 6/10 rating post-match by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who bemoaned Calvert-Lewin ‘needlessly’ finding himself offside throughout the tense affair, it will be interesting to see who the German picks for the crunch clash at Molineux.

With Joel Piroe and Lukas Nmecha also at the former Norwich City’s disposal up top, it could well be that one of those reserve faces gets the nod over the former England international shortly, as Calvert-Lewin has depressingly failed to hit the ground running in West Yorkshire.

£2.5m Leeds player now house-hunting to seal permanent Elland Road exit

The Whites appear set to swiftly offload the man in question.

BySean Markus Clifford Sep 12, 2025

The RR opener batted fearlessly on IPL debut to scored34 off 20 balls

Shashank Kishore19-Apr-20252:53

Boucher: Suryavanshi must be ‘special’ to be selected at 14

At 14 years and 23 days, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the IPL’s youngest debutant when he was brought in as an Impact Player in Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) chase of 181 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Jaipur on Saturday. He began his IPL career with a six off his first delivery, bowled by Shardul Thakur.Suryavanshi, who hails from Samastipur, a city about 100 kilometres north east of Patna, made his first-class debut at the age of 13 in January last year, and was picked for INR 1.1 crore at last November’s mega IPL auction. He had attracted the attention of IPL scouts when he made a 58-ball century for India in a youth “Test” against Australia in September last year. Having sat on the RR bench for the first half of IPL 2025, he got his opportunity because of an injury to Sanju Samson.”Playing IPL at 14 is unimaginable,” Ambati Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut before the chase once it became clear that Suryavanshi would be getting a go. “He must be a special cricketer,” Mark Boucher said.Related

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“Everybody has been anticipating this day this year right from the auction when he was picked,” Rayudu added. “Everybody was quite curious to know who this kid was. The only other guy that the whole of India saw at 16 was Sachin Tendulkar and from then on we know what he has achieved. So everybody is expecting big things from Suryavanshi as well.”Opening the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryavanshi did not hold back. He launched the first ball he faced – a length delivery from India international Thakur – by making room and lofting on the up over the extra-cover boundary.His fearlessness and intent to keep on attacking became evident when he cleared his front leg and swung at his third ball, hitting another India international, Avesh Khan, down the ground for six. He earned a reprieve off his fifth delivery, when Prince Yadav put down a high catch running back from midwicket.As LSG brought in spinner Digvesh Rathi in the fourth over after RR had raced to 39 for no loss, Suryavanshi focused on defence. There was a clear plan to hit anything pitched short or full, like the time he climbed into Rathi when he dropped short, or when he launched legspinner Ravi Bishnoi straight down the ground.Suryavanshi scored 34 off 20 – 26 in boundaries – on IPL debut before Aiden Markram had him stumped when he got one to rip off the surface to beat him in flight. Suryavanshi had overbalanced and lifted is back foot, giving Rishabh Pant the chance to complete the stumping and break the 85-run opening stand that came off 8.4 overs. At that stage, RR were well placed for victory, but a dramatic turn of events in the last three overs sent them crashing to their fourth consecutive defeat.

Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac and Tom Brady should have plenty of cause for celebration in the coming years, claims Alan Shearer, with Wrexham and Birmingham City being told that they will "both be in the Premier League in the near future". Two ambitious projects that see A-list investors heavily involved have captured the imagination of a global audience and continue to generate plenty of drama.

Wrexham & Birmingham chasing the Premier League dream

Wrexham have rewritten the EFL history books by enjoying three successive promotions, with a meteoric rise out of the National League and into the Championship being enjoyed. Birmingham took a step backwards following a failed managerial experiment with Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, but captured the League One title in historic fashion last season.

The Red Dragons and Blues are now plotting a course through the second tier of English football. Big money has been spent on chasing the dream, with Hollywood co-owners Reynolds and Mac helping to fund a £30 million-plus ($40m) spending spree during the summer of 2025.

AdvertisementGettyParkinson & Davies charged with delivering results

Wrexham did endure a slow start to the new season, with untimely injuries doing little to aid their cause, leading to questions being asked of Phil Parkinson’s future. He retains the full support of his board, while Chris Davies will be given time to get things right at St Andrew’s after also overseeing an inconsistent opening to the 2025-26 campaign.

Both teams – who have starred in their own documentary series – are aware that they need to build on solid foundations and cannot expect to blaze a trail through a division as competitive as the Championship. They are, however, being tipped to hit their ultimate end goals by adding top-flight fixtures to their respective schedules.

Shearer's promotion prediction for Wrexham & Birmingham

Ex-England captain Shearer, who remains the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer, has told of promotion bids in North Wales and the West Midlands: "Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady are chasing the dream of Premier League football, I guess. They're looking at huge football clubs which Wrexham and Birmingham are to try and chase the dream of getting to the promised land. Certainly, in Ryan Reynolds' view, they're closer to it than they thought they would be.

"They're not far away now albeit I don't think they'll get promoted this season, but they all want a bit of the Premier League because wherever you are, it's remarkable. I was in Kansas City last weekend and the reaction to the Premier League is something you've never seen before. It's off the charts. So that's what they all want, they've seen it on TV, they're all very wealthy, want to invest and get a piece of the pie.

"I think they will both be in the Premier League in the near future, I do. If they continue to invest like they have done, how they get around PSR is a different matter, but they look at clubs who have been drifting, but look at the history, how big they are and how big they can become in the area that they're in and both Birmingham and Wrexham are huge. There's a chance to grow them even bigger and there's also a chance they get what they want and reach the Premier League."

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GettyHollywood derby: Wrexham face Birmingham at the Racecourse

Shearer is not the first to suggest that Wrexham and Birmingham will soon be rubbing shoulders with the big boys. Ben Foster, who was talked out of retirement by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2023, has backed the Red Dragons to secure promotion "within five years". David Dunn, meanwhile, told GOAL back in May that Brady and the Blues are capable of "bouncing again" and going up this season.

There is clearly work for both sides to do in order to position themselves among the Championship frontrunners, but they will get another opportunity to establish momentum heading into the latest international break when facing one another at SToK Racecourse on Friday – with there set to be plenty of eyes, including a few famous ones, on that fixture.

Sunderland fans will already be planning their journeys down to Burnley on the weekend as the Black Cats’ second Premier League fixture of the new season edges ever closer.

While the Wearside outfit kicked straight into gear in the top-flight with a 3-0 triumph over West Ham United, the Clarets succumbed to a disappointing 3-0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur, resulting in both newly promoted sides occupying very different parts of the early table heading into Saturday’s showdown.

Even if Regis Le Bris’ men do follow up their opening day success with a win on the road, expect them to be busy in the transfer department right up until September’s deadline, as a new attacking target now appears on their agenda.

Sunderland gifted chance to sign £17m star

After all, another couple of new signings to add on to their 12 incomings this summer isn’t going to hurt anyone.

The ambitious Black Cats are continuing to be linked with a whole host of exciting names, with FC Copenhagen centre-back Gabriel Pereira reportedly catching their eye at around the £9m mark, on top of Abdul Fatawu also being on their radar in attack.

Unfortunately, Sunderland may well deem a £30m move for the Leicester City winger to be too much money to cough up, despite their excessive spending in the market. Thankfully, this alternative target could do the job instead.

Indeed, as per French outlet RMC, ex-Norwich City forward Jonathan Rowe looks to be leaving Marseille now this summer, owing to a recent altercation with teammate Adrien Rabiot resulting in the Ligue 1 club saying he can depart.

Both players in question have been put up for sale subsequently, with Rowe allegedly available for a fee around the £17m mark, which has piqued Sunderland’s interest – albeit with Serie A side Bologna seemingly at the front of the queue, as Fabrizio Romano has revealed on X.

For significantly less than Fatawu’s asking price, Sunderland could secure themselves a big upgrade on the Ghanaian forward by swooping in for Rowe, irrespective of his bad behaviour under Roberto De Zerbi.

How Rowe compares to Sunderland target Fatawu

Of course, Fatawu is a shining star in his own right for Leicester, with the entertaining 21-year-old up to an impressive seven goals and 15 assists for Marti Cifuentes’ men.

But, it would be deemed an almighty risk to fork out £30m on the Foxes’ number seven all the same, especially if Rowe is waiting in the wings ready to be picked up for £13m less.

Norwich

56

13 + 5

Marseille

31

3 + 4

England U21s

10

3 + 0

Fatawu only has two assists to show for his Premier League troubles at the King Power Stadium. Whereas, Rowe has turned into a competent performer in the French top-flight with Marseille – away from his blistering exploits with Norwich where he bagged a stunning 13 goals from 56 games – despite his time at the Stade Velodrome now turning sour.

Three goals and four assists had come Rowe’s way in the Marseille first-team picture before the recent ill-timed development, with a hope on the former Canaries youth product’s end that he can enter into the Premier League with Sunderland shortly and take the tough division by storm, having matured out in France, away from his boyhood side.

Rowe would surely slot into Le Bris’ team effortlessly, with the England U21 regular showing off his direct, forward-thinking mentality with this sumptuous strike last season in Ligue 1 action, which was the same gung-ho philosophy that saw the Black Cats wipe the floor with Graham Potter’s Hammers.

On the other hand, Fatawu is more known for his unselfish approach – as seen when he created a mammoth 32 big chances in league action during Leicester’s promotion up to the Premier League – with a worrying zero goals next to his name in the demanding English top-flight.

In another reality, Le Bris and Co. do swoop in for Fatawu, as the Frenchman is handed another youthful project.

However, if Sunderland want instant success and another player who can make them a dangerous prospect at the very top, the Premier League newcomers should attempt to land the “scintillating” winger – as he was previously labelled by pundit Carlton Palmer – before the window slams shut.

The next Amad: Sunderland exploring move for "unplayable" £30m star

Regis Le Bris could pick up Sunderland’s next Amad Diallo by sealing a deal for this tricky attacker.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 20, 2025

Newcastle United are in desperate need of some reinforcements in attack.

The obvious dark cloud hanging over proceedings at the moment at St James’ Park is the ongoing Alexander Isak situation, with Eddie Howe and Co now resiliently firing back to insist that their superstar Swede is not for sale.

This will no doubt cause unrest in the camp, with Isak adamant that he wants to leave. Regardless of whether he does miraculously stay or is expectedly moved on, the Toon need some signings in the forward department, with Callum Wilson also leaving a notable hole when he exited for West Ham United recently.

The Magpies have been incessantly linked with a whole host of names in their bid to try and add some firepower, with one face now standing out as a key target.

Newcastle make £80m star key target

Unfortunately for Newcastle, they have already stumbled when trying to snap up some strikers of Isak’s calibre.

Benjamin Sesko ended up deciding that Manchester United was going to be his next onward destination after RB Leipzig, with the Toon once in the race for the lethal Slovenian’s signature, before the Red Devils won his coveted signature.

That hasn’t stopped Newcastle sniffing around for other targets, however, with Spanish hotshot Samu Aghehowa also on the radar from FC Porto. But, one target above them all is now seemingly the main striker catching the Toon’s attention.

Amazingly, despite blowing hot and cold at Chelsea regularly, Nicolas Jackson is reportedly that man, with a new report by Football Insider revealing that the Premier League side are setting their main sights on the Blues’ number 15 after that damaging Sesko rejection.

£80m is the reported price tag for the 24-year-old, with Jackson also keen on the idea of a Tyneside move – according to the report – amid tensions with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

While Jackson hasn’t been sublime throughout his Blues stay to date, he could turn around his Premier League adventure with the Toon, much like Demba Ba did back in 2011 after suffering an unwanted relegation with West Ham United.

How Jackson can be Howe's very own Ba at Newcastle

Ba would only line up for the Hammers a total of 13 times before spreading his wings in the English game with Newcastle, the team he’s most commonly associated with in the Premier League.

That isn’t to say the Senegalese centre-forward was a colossal failure in East London, though, with a seven goals coming his way donning claret and blue.

But, he would take his game to the next level at St James’ Park, with 29 goals tallied up from 58 appearances on Tyneside, immortalising himself as a great among the Toon faithful subsequently.

Staggeringly, despite grumbles about Jackson’s form in West London – which has even led to talkSPORT’s Alan Brazil stating that he “tries but can’t finish” – Jackson has actually bettered Ba’s Magpies record over his last two seasons for Chelsea, with his entire tally for the Blues coming in at a reasonable 31 strikes from 85 clashes.

With Howe’s impressive track record with strikers at Newcastle also catching the eye, as seen in Isak becoming the talk of the town under his tenure, the hope will be that Jackson – as Ba was before he joined – is a diamond in the rough the ex-AFC Bournemouth manager can improve, having also been heralded as “special” by journalist Rahman Osman when swatting away critics.

Ba’s debut season heroics even saw Newcastle finish in a sensational fifth spot during the 2011/12 campaign, leading to then-Magpies boss Alan Pardew lauding him as possessing a “natural eye for goal.”

Jackson might well have had some less glowing words come his way during his up-and-down Blues stint to date, but he will be hopeful he can propel the Toon to heights that are even loftier than fifth by being the spark that guides Howe and Co. back into the top four and beyond this coming season.

Newcastle eyeing £100m Premier League "world-beater" who’s like Camavinga

This will be music to the ears of Eddie Howe.

By
Henry Jackson

Aug 10, 2025