Chelsea considering bid to sign 'next Mbappe'

Chelsea fans could see the return of a familiar face as part of Xabi Alonso's side at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League next season.

It is reported that Nicolas Jackson will be given the opportunity to impress the Spanish coach before the season, because his contract has seven years left to expire.

He spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Germany's Bayern Munich, but the Bavarian giants opted against a permanent deal for the Senegal international.

The 24-year-old striker has scored 11 goals in 34 appearances for Bayern in all competitions this season, including eight goals in 23 outings for Vincent Kompany in the Bundesliga.

However, his form in front of goal was not enough to convince the Bundesliga champions to pursue a second deal for the Chelsea flop this summer.

Chelsea are considering a summer bid for the Premier League striker

Jackson scored 30 goals in 81 games in all competitions during his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge, including a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in his first year in London.

Despite that impressive return in front of goal, Alonso is already eyeing a new striker to come in as a better option than the former Villarreal man.

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are among the clubs looking to sign Eli Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Blues and Liverpool have been eyeing the young attacker for some time and are now considering summer bids to sign him in the off-season.

It is added, however, that Manchester City have already held talks with the player's representatives, suggesting they are ahead of their rivals in the race to sign Kroupi at this point.

TEAMtalk reveal that the Cherries will not accept anything less than £80m for the 19-year-old talent, and it remains to be seen if Chelsea are willing to pay that price for his services.

Why Eli Junior Kroupi would be better for Chelsea than Nicolas Jackson

The London giants decided to send Jackson on loan last summer because he was so unreliable in front of goal in his first two seasons in the Premier League.

In the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns combined, the Senegalese scored 24 goals from 30.98 xG in the Premier League for Chelsea, showing that he was incredibly wasteful of the opportunities he was given.

Kroupi's form for Bournemouth in the Premier League this season, on the other hand, suggests he will be more clinical for Alonso than Jackson.

No player has optimized his xG more than the Cherries marksman in the 2025/26 campaign, as he has netted 13 times from an 8.98 xG in the division.

The young sensation, who was described as “the next Mbappe”, by GOAL, also scored those 13 goals from the start of 21 games, showing that he was consistent and clinical.

These figures suggest he will be more successful in front of Chelsea's goal than Jackson was in the club's third season, given his consistent struggles as a player in his first two years in London.

The Senegalese striker has failed to prove, in any season, that he can be trusted to turn away the top chances that come his way, which is why they loaned him out, which is why the club should look to sign a reliable striker this summer.

Kroupi, despite being only 19 years old, could be that player, as his current form is not a flash in the pan. He also scored 22 goals and missed just 12 'big chances' in 30 games in Ligue 2 for Lorient in the 2024/25 campaign.

This means the Frenchman has scored 35 goals and missed just 15 'big chances' at league level over the past two seasons, while Jackson has missed 61 'big chances' in the last three campaigns combined.

Alonso will be aiming to build on his long-term success at Stamford Bridge and signing a 19-year-old striker who has proven himself in the Premier League would be a great way to start his reign.

It is now up to the club's bosses to continue with the request to sign the player to beat Liverpool and City to sign him before the end of the summer window.