Tottenham Target Nicolas Jackson as Transfer Window Closes

Tottenham Hotspur have moved into the frame for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, with respected French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reporting that Spurs are one of three clubs tracking the Senegal international in the final stretch of the transfer window.

Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are also said to be monitoring the 23-year-old, who is viewed as a potential option rather than a headline target at this stage. Chelsea’s price is understood to be around £60m, a hefty fee but still below the £70m Liverpool have reportedly asked for Cody Gakpo.

This isn’t the first time Jackson’s name has been linked with Spurs. A Mail report earlier in the window suggested Tottenham were considering a move, a story quickly dismissed by several English journalists, including Alasdair Gold. Hawkins’ involvement gives this latest line a different weight, particularly given his track record on French and Francophone players.

The numbers around Jackson are intriguing. He underperforms his xG, but he consistently finds shooting positions in the box, a trait elite coaches covet. He is also a natural centre-forward and three years younger than Gakpo, who has often operated from wider positions for both club and country.

For Tottenham, Jackson looks more like part of a contingency plan than the centrepiece of their attacking rebuild. The club remain focused on Savinho and Gakpo as primary targets. However, the dominoes around those deals are complicated. PSG are said to be demanding a huge fee from Liverpool for Bradley Barcola, and if the French club dig in, Liverpool’s willingness to part with Gakpo could evaporate quickly.

That scenario forces Spurs to prepare alternatives. Jackson sits firmly in that bracket: a player who divides opinion, not least because of his Chelsea badge and his habit of scoring against Tottenham, but one whose underlying profile suggests untapped value. The £60m figure mentioned by Hawkins is also slightly lower than the £65m quoted in the Mail’s earlier report, hinting at some room for negotiation or a softening of Chelsea’s stance.

Jackson would bring penalty-box movement, vertical runs, and a direct threat that could mesh neatly with an attack built around quick interchanges and aggressive pressing. In a high-tempo, front-foot system such as Roberto De Zerbi’s, his volume of chances might matter more than his current finishing streaks. Supporters who wince at the idea of signing from Chelsea tend to change their tune once the goals start flying in.

For now, though, this sits in Tottenham’s back pocket rather than on the front burner. Savinho and Gakpo remain the names at the top of the list. If those lines collapse under the weight of PSG’s demands and Liverpool’s reluctance, the spotlight could swing sharply onto Jackson.

And if that happens, the question won’t be whether Spurs were interested – it will be whether they moved quickly enough.