Aston Villa completed the signing of Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea on Friday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed but it is reportedly worth a total package of £65 million ($88m), with Villa paying an initial sum of about £47.5m ($64.3m) to secure the 25-year-old’s services.
Jackson, who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, is set to replace Ollie Watkins with the Villa forward reportedly poised to join Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.
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“I told him ‘bye’ with a huge hug and with small tears,” Emery said of Watkins’ impending move at a news conference on Friday, before adding: “OK, but now it’s a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson.”
Watkins and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who ESPN reported is poised to join Chelsea, are set to follow Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne out of Villa Park in a summer of significant upheaval after winning the Europa League last season.
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Jackson’s move reunites him with Emery, whom he previously worked under at Villarreal.
After joining from Villarreal in 2023, Jackson scored 24 goals across two Premier League seasons for Chelsea. He scored eight goals in Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga-winning campaign last season.
