Aston Villa set to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea despite UEFA transfer rule

Aston Villa are set to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea despite UEFA transfer rules, The Athletic reports.

They will not lose the full accounting benefit of Morgan Rogers’ record move to Chelsea despite UEFA rules designed to prevent clubs from using player deals to improve their finances.

Villa completed Rogers’ move to Chelsea in July for a reported £117 million, making it a record transfer involving a British player. 

The deal was followed by Alejandro Garnacho moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan, with a conditional obligation to buy depending on his appearances.

The timing of the Rogers move initially raised eyebrows because UEFA has a 45-day rule covering potential ‘player exchange transactions’. 

The regulation is designed to stop clubs from structuring related transfers in a way that artificially increases the profit they can record from player sales.

If UEFA considers two deals between the same clubs to be part of an exchange, the profit recognised by the bigger seller can be limited to the net difference between the fees. 

The club making the smaller sale may also be unable to recognise a profit.

That appeared to create a problem for Villa, who could have had less than 45 days remaining in the transfer window to find a replacement for Al Hilal-bound Ollie Watkins.

Villa have reportedly explored several alternatives, including Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, AC Milan forward Rafael Leao and Bayer Leverkusen’s Christian Kofane. 

However, Jackson is Unai Emery’s preferred option, primarily because he knows him from their time at Villarreal. 

Villa are now set to pay a total of £65m to sign the Senegalese striker from Chelsea and UEFA’s 45-day rule doesn’t prevent the deal from going through.

UEFA has confirmed that the timing of two transfers is only one factor when deciding whether they amount to an exchange transaction.

Villa could claim that the Jackson deal is completely separate from Rogers’ move. One key consideration is whether Villa would have pursued Jackson regardless of the position he played.