Aston Villa sign Nicolas Jackson for £65m and agree €55m deal for Ibrahim Mbaye

Jackson reunites with Emery at Villa Park

Aston Villa announced the permanent signing of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea on Friday to reinforce their attacking options. Villa agreed to pay an initial £47.5 million for the 25-year-old forward, with another £17.5 million in potential add-ons bringing the total club-record package to £65 million. Jackson committed to a five-year contract at Villa Park that includes a club option to extend the deal for an additional 12 months. The transfer reunites Jackson with manager Unai Emery, who previously coached the striker at Spanish side Villarreal during the 2022-23 LaLiga campaign, where Jackson scored 12 goals in 26 league fixtures.

Jackson joined Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for £32 million, recording 30 goals across 81 appearances in all competitions while helping the London club win the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. After spending the previous campaign on loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals and claimed both the Bundesliga title and the German Cup, Jackson returned to London but was placed outside manager Xabi Alonso's first-team plans.

Frontline overhaul following summer departures

Jackson's arrival directly addresses attacking vacancies created by several outgoings at Villa Park. Striker Ollie Watkins is finalising a £50 million transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal after the 30-year-old forward declined to participate in Villa's 4-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening weekend. Emery addressed the situation during his Friday press conference before the upcoming fixture against Arsenal.

We didn't get a deal to finish his last match playing at Brighton, but he told us after the match he was sorry, and he told us as well he made a mistake.

The squad adjustments follow earlier exits driven by financial regulations after Villa secured Champions League qualification and won the Europa League. Forward Morgan Rogers moved to Chelsea for a British transfer record fee of £117 million, while defender Ezri Konsa joined Arsenal, midfielder Youri Tielemans went to Manchester United, and left-back Lucas Digne departed. Villa also added winger Alejandro Garnacho on a season-long loan from Chelsea with a conditional obligation to buy.

Deal agreed in principle for Mbaye

Villa also reached an agreement in principle to sign 18-year-old winger Ibrahim Mbaye from European champions Paris Saint-Germain for €55 million. Talks between Villa chairman Nassef Sawiris and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi proved decisive in progressing the deal past interest from Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. Mbaye, who is represented by Gestifute and Jorge Mendes alongside Golden Gate, had been tracked by Villa since January.

Mbaye developed through PSG's youth setup after arriving from FC Versailles 78 in 2018, later making 42 first-team appearances with four goals and four assists. He became PSG's youngest league starter at 16 years and 205 days against Le Havre in August 2024. At international level, the Trappes-born winger has earned 15 caps for Senegal, winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and becoming the youngest African goalscorer in World Cup history at 18 years and 143 days with a goal against France.

Villa explored several attacking options across the window, including approaches for Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta and Bayer Leverkusen's Christian Kofane, while AC Milan accepted a €45 million offer from Galatasaray for Rafael Leao. Villa host champions Arsenal on Monday.