Atletico makes a move for an old acquaintance

Atlético de Madrid

Mateu Alemany meets with the Chelsea in London to explore the loan of the Senegalese forward, Nicolas Jackson, one of Atletico's priorities for strengthening their attack.

The trip by Mateu Alemany to London confirms that Atletico wants to speed things up. The rojiblanco director of professional football has traveled this Thursday to the British capital to meet with the Chelsea and try to find a formula that brings Nicolas Jackson to the Metropolitano.

The situation in attack has pushed the club to move because Sorloth is injured and Julián is still looking to get back to his best level, so the sporting directorate considers it necessary to bring in another forward. Jackson is among the names that most convince in the rojiblanco offices.

After the investment made in Cuti Romero, with a deal of 33 million euros plus seven in add-ons, Atletico needs to fine-tune any new signing. That is why the route being studied involves a loan, with the added aim that the Chelsea takes on part of the player's wages.

Alemany already warned this Wednesday about the difficulties posed by the market. «Everything is complicated», he acknowledged before the meeting against the Málaga. The rojiblanco sporting official believes that the increase in money in football has made especially expensive the players with the greatest ability to make a difference.

Jackson's willingness could play in Atletico's favor. The forward wants to return to Spanish football, where he left very good impressions during his time at the Villarreal. There he made the step up to the first team and caught the attention of several clubs before heading to the Premier League.

A transfer to Bournemouth fell through in the winter window, but shortly afterwards the Chelsea made a strong push for him and paid around 37 million euros. After two seasons in England, Jackson also went through the Bayern on loan.

The Aston Villa are also keeping an eye on the Senegalese. Unai Emery knows the player well after giving him the chance to move up to Villarreal's first team, and the English club considers Jackson a possible solution if Olie Watkins ends up heading to Arabia.

The Atletico are trying to convince Chelsea of an operation that fits within their financial limits and gain ground over other suitors.