Chelsea overhaul continues as they sign Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal

Ruben Loftus-Cheek completes move to AC Milan

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Group C - FK Austria Wien v Villarreal - Generali Arena, Vienna, Austria - October 13, 2022 Villarreal's Nicolas Jackson celebrates scoring theShow more

Chelsea's summer overhaul continued as they completed the transfer of Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan and then signed forward Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.

Jackson, 22, joins the Stamford Bridge side on an eight-year deal after scoring 12 goals for the Spanish club last season, including nine in the last eight games.

Media reports stated the deal for the Senegal international was for £32 million. He is the second forward to join Chelsea this summer after Christopher Nkunku.

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the Chelsea website: "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."

Jackson's arrival came shortly after the Blues announced that Loftus-Cheek had completed a permanent move to AC Milan.

The 27-year-old joins Milan on a four-year deal running until June 2027.

His departure from Chelsea comes after 19 years with the club, having joined their academy in 2004.

He made 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times, and earned Premier League, Europa League and Uefa Super Cup winners' medals.

An impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace also saw Loftus-Cheek selected for the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

It was the latest move in a hectic summer of activity for Chelsea as they look to balance their books in order to meet financial fair play terms following heavy spending in the last season that turned out to be a failure , finishing 12th in the Premier League.

Midfielder Kai Havertz has been sold to Arsenal, while N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy have joined Saudi Arabian clubs. England midfielder Mason Mount is also expected to be sold to Manchester United.