Striker Nicolas Jackson was left out of Chelsea’s squad to face Bayer Leverkusen on Friday after agreeing with the club that he can leave this summer.

The 24-year-old trained alone on Friday amid reported transfer interest from Newcastle after they missed out on signing Manchester United-bound Benjamin Sesko.

A move suits Jackson and Chelsea, with the Blues having signed two strikers this summer – Joao Pedro from Brighton and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.

Chelsea hope to receive at least double the £32m they spent to sign the Senegal forward in 2023 from Villarreal.

The club believe he is worth more than the £52m paid by Arsenal to sign Noni Madueke due to the striker’s superior goal and assists statistics.

If their asking price is not met, Chelsea plan to reintegrate Jackson into the squad.

Christopher Nkunku was also left out of the match amid a possible move but is also getting over a minor injury complaint and not in full training.

Jackson has scored 30 goals and delivered 12 assists in 80 matches for Chelsea in his two years at the club.

In September 2024, he signed a nine-year contract until 2033.