Aston Villa’s growth under Unai Emery has been one of the Premier League’s standout stories of recent times.
The Spaniard has not only restored European football to Villa Park but also instilled a new sense of ambition.
Yet, Emery and the club’s hierarchy recognise that their squad is still evolving.
This summer has already tested Villa’s ability to balance growth with financial sustainability.
The departure of academy graduate Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle was a painful reality check under PSR rules, while the arrival of striker Evann Guessand from Nice provided depth but not necessarily a guaranteed game-changer.
Adding further quality up front remains a clear priority. Ollie Watkins, who hit 16 league goals last season, is attracting outside interest, but Emery has been unequivocal that his talisman is not for sale.
The challenge now is to find someone who can complement Watkins – offering competition, cover, and potentially a successor if he does move on.
In that search, Villa appear to have identified a striker who not only carries enormous potential but also evokes memories of two very different forwards who left their mark in claret and blue: Jhon Durán and Christian Benteke.
Villa make Nicolas Jackson their top target
Fabrizio Romano has reported that Aston Villa are pushing hard to land Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, making him Emery’s top attacking target.
Chelsea’s initial valuation of £80m has softened, with Ed Aarons of the Guardian suggesting the Blues are now prepared to accept a fee closer to £65m.
That figure still represents a major investment for Villa, but Emery’s belief in the player appears firm.
The two share history from Villarreal, where Jackson was first introduced to senior football, and their relationship is understood to be strong.
Talks are ongoing over the structure of the deal.
Chelsea’s willingness to negotiate is partly shaped by squad dynamics: Jackson, despite scoring 24 goals and supplying 10 assists in 65 Premier League matches, per Transfermarkt, has slipped down the pecking order behind new arrivals Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
Villa, however, see untapped potential, but the competition is fierce.
Newcastle, still searching for Alexander Isak’s replacement, and Bayern Munich, searching for a reliable deputy to Harry Kane, are both interested.
For Villa’s recruitment staff, Jackson’s profile is exactly what they have sought: a player who has proven he can deliver in the Premier League but who remains young enough to develop further.
What Nicolas Jackson could bring to Aston Villa
The comparisons with Aston Villa strikers of the past decade tell their own story.
Nicolas Jackson is viewed as a bridge between the youthful rawness of Jhon Durán and the physical dominance once provided by Christian Benteke.
Duran’s time at Villa was brief but explosive.
Just 21 when he left for Al Nassr in a £70m deal in January, the Colombian forward had already scored seven goals in 20 Premier League appearances, per Transfermarkt.
Fans loved his unpredictability: thunderous strikes from distance, fearless runs, and a relentless willingness to shoot.
Yet he was still unpolished.
According to FBref, his progressive carries were relatively low (0.99 per 90 compared to Jackson’s 1.90), and his passing accuracy (70.6%) suggested areas for development.
Jackson, at 24, feels like the next step on from Duran.
His numbers highlight a more rounded attacker: 3.08 shots per 90, 2.80 shot-creating actions, and a pass completion rate of nearly 76%. He can still be erratic – disciplinary lapses are proof of that – but he has already combined raw energy with improved efficiency.
In many ways, he offers the qualities Villa wanted from Duran but with the added benefit of two seasons’ experience at Chelsea.
The other reference point is Christian Benteke, whose three-year spell at Villa Park between 2012 and 2015 remains fond in the memory.
Signed for less than £7m from Genk, Benteke bulldozed his way to 49 goals in 101 appearances.
He was Villa’s battering ram: a centre-forward who thrived on crosses, bullied defenders in the air, and carried the team in difficult moments.
Jackson is not a like-for-like Benteke successor.
He does not rely on aerial dominance to the same extent, nor is he tasked with leading a one-dimensional attack as Benteke once was under Paul Lambert. But the essence is there.
At 1.87m, Jackson has the frame to occupy defenders physically, and his 79th percentile ranking for touches in the attacking penalty area (5.72 per 90) shows his knack for positioning himself in dangerous spaces.
Like Benteke in 2012, he is not yet the finished article but has the platform to become a talisman.
What unites Duran, Benteke, and now Jackson is the idea of potential. Duran was raw and thrilling but left too soon. Benteke arrived as an unknown and blossomed into a Premier League goalscorer. Jackson sits between the two: already proven at a high level, but still with room to grow into a player who can define an era at Villa Park.
The financial risk is clear. £65m is a significant outlay for a club already trimming costs elsewhere, and Jackson’s red cards raise questions about temperament.
But Villa know what is at stake.
To cement themselves among the Premier League’s elite, they cannot afford to stand still. And if Jackson fulfils even part of the trajectory Benteke once set, the investment will feel justified.
As scouting analyst Jacek Kulig described, Jackson is an “extraordinary” talent. For Emery, that talent represents more than just goals. It represents continuity – from Duran’s brief spark to Benteke’s dominant reign – and a forward line that can carry Villa into their next chapter.