Chelsea contacted Sporting about striker Conrad Harder and asked Bayern Munich to make a permanent offer for Nicolas Jackson following Liam Delap's hamstring injury. Chelsea withdrew permission for Jackson's medical in Germany and are seeking a permanent deal from Bayern to help fund a new striker. Manager Enzo Maresca prefers signing Harder and selling Jackson while Delap faces a potential six to eight week absence. Alternatives include recalling Marc Guiu from Sunderland or instructing Jackson to return. Brighton's Facundo Buonanotte is expected on a season-long loan and Chelsea aim to offload several 'bomb squad' players.
They also contacted Harder and Sporting to sound out a potential move after Delap's injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday. On Sunday Jackson remained in Germany and is keen to leave Stamford Bridge, but because of the change in circumstances Bayern are being asked to re-negotiate for a permanent deal to help fund a new striker at Chelsea.
Signing Harder and selling Jackson is the preferred option of three potential scenarios, with manager Enzo Maresca worried Delap will be out for "six to eight weeks". Any deal is contingent on both agreeing a fee and convincing the 20-year-old one-cap Denmark international to move to Chelsea to compete with two other strikers. Alternatively, Marc Guiu could be recalled from his loan spell at Sunderland, but that would require the clubs to reach an agreement.
The transfer window closes at 19:00 BST on Monday, with Brighton attacker Facundo Buonanotte also expected to join on a season-long loan. Before the injury to Delap, Chelsea had also made an offer to Barcelona forward Fermin Lopez on Saturday. They also have a key priority to offload their final few 'bomb squad' members in Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi and David Datro Fofana.
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