Nicolas Jackson is “available, but he is not going to be part of the team” for the upcoming Premier League collision of Chelsea against West Ham United, ENZO Maresca revealed.
Jackson was subject to transfer speculation this summer, even though he only arrived at Stamford Bridge from Villarreal in 2023 for a reported fee of £ 32 million (€ 36.9 million).
The 24-year-old was not involved with Chelsea's scoreless draw against Crystal Palace in the first match of their 2025-26 campaign due to a red card suspension.
The future of Jackson was questioned after the Blues deals of Grote Money for Joao Pedro and Liam Delap from Brighton and Ipswich Town respectively had completed.
It has been reported that Aston Villa is a movement in line, while Newcastle United has had a constant interest in view of the uncertainty around Alexander Isak.
And although he was fit to play, Maresca confirmed that Jackson would not be part of the traveling Chelsea party for their short trip to the London Stadium on Friday.
“He is available, but he is not going to be part of the team,” Maresca told reporters.
“As we said, we have two strikers. And we also know that something can happen before the transfer window closes.”
Asked if Jackson is close to a move, Maresca added: “No idea. You know, from last season I prefer to focus on training sessions. I don't know.”
Since the arrival of Jackson at Chelsea, only Cole Palmer (71) has registered more target involvement than the Senegal International (42).
But another player who seems destined for the starting door before the Deadline of 1 September is colleague attacker Christopher Nunku.
Nunku recently had discussions with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich about a loan agreement, although Chelsea is supposed to insist on a permanent step.
'Christopher is with us, like Nico, but it is the same answer as Nico. The other two players [Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson] His training apart, “Maresca added.
“No idea. We have two more weeks. No idea because it is difficult to plan because something can happen.”
The potential output of both Jackson and Nunku will enable Chelsea to explore deals with the Xavi Simons of Manchester United's Alejandro Garnaacho and RB Leipzig.