London: Chelsea has signed Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson on an eight-year contract from Spanish side Villarreal.
The 22-year-old scored 13 goals in 38 appearances for the La Liga side last season, including nine in the final eight league games.
Jackson is the Blues’ second summer signing after securing the services of France striker Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig.
‘We are excited to welcome Nicolas to Chelsea. He is a young player with big potential, as he showcased for Villarreal last season. We believe he is ready for this next step in his career and look forward to him working with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and his Chelsea teammates,” said co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, in a club statement late Friday night.
Born in The Gambia, Jackson spent much of his childhood in Senegal and represents the country at international level. His club career began at Senegal Premier League side Casa Sports before a move to Villarreal in September 2019.
Jackson’s first taste of senior European football came on loan at Spanish second-tier side Mirandes. A campaign in Villarreal’s B side followed and he helped the side seal promotion from the third tier with both goals in their play-off final victory.
The young forward established himself in the senior set-up last summer and went on to make 38 appearances across all competitions for Villarreal and earned a call-up for the Senegal World Cup squad. He made his international debut at the tournament in Qatar.