Aston Villa Set to Choose Between Chelsea Targets Jackson and Garnacho

Aston Villa have been in discussions with Chelsea regarding a pair of their attacking talents, though Unai Emery's squad reshaping plans will see them pursue only one of Nicolas Jackson or Alejandro Garnacho before the window closes.

The midlands club have already bolstered their ranks with signings of Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes, while the departing Rogers—sold to Chelsea for £117m—will fund further recruitment. Manzambi's arrival from Freiburg in a club-record €70m (£59.5m) deal was engineered to fill the void left by Rogers, with Emery now eyeing reinforcements in both wide and central attacking positions.

Villa's primary targets on the wing remain West Ham United's Crysencio Summerville and Paris Saint-Germain's Ibrahim Mbaye, though Garnacho remains under consideration. The likelihood of both Chelsea players arriving at Villa Park simultaneously appears remote, with the club forced to make a strategic choice between them.

Should Garnacho opt for pastures new or Villa decide against pursuing him, Summerville and Mbaye would remain their chief wide-men alternatives. That scenario would then clear the path for a concentrated push for Jackson, whose familiarity with Emery from their Villarreal days could prove decisive.

Jackson would provide cover or competition for either Ollie Watkins or Tammy Abraham. Watkins has attracted interest from Fenerbahce, whilst Villa are prepared to listen to offers for Abraham, though they are not actively seeking his departure.

Current expectations suggest Villa will move for either Summerville or Mbaye before ramping up their pursuit of the Chelsea centre-forward. Such an outcome would leave Roma with a clear opportunity to land Garnacho, a player they are also tracking alongside Summerville as they hunt for left-wing reinforcement.

Chelsea's valuation remains a sticking point. Garnacho carries a £45m price tag for Premier League clubs, dropping to £40m for overseas suitors. Jackson, meanwhile, commands a significantly steeper asking price of £60m, though Villa would likely anticipate negotiating a discount.

The Senegal forward spent the previous campaign on loan at Bayern Munich, where he contributed 11 goals and four assists across 34 appearances. A permanent switch to the Bundesliga would have materialised had Jackson started 40 times for the German giants, though Bayern's hierarchy made it clear such a scenario was never realistic.