Chelsea have now made an approach to sign a "powerful" striker as a replacement for Nicolas Jackson, who could still exit Stamford Bridge this summer, despite a late twist.

Blues make approach for new striker as Jackson saga takes twist

All the indications were that Jackson was set to complete a loan move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, but the Blues cancelled the deal before the Senagelese forward was able to complete a medical, given the recent injury to Liam Delap.

Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Delap could be set for a relatively lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring issue, saying: "Hopefully it’s not long, but this kind of case, this kind of injury, it always can be six, eight weeks."

Understandably, Jackson is frustrated with the move not going through, having fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, and there have even been recent reports suggesting the 24-year-old is now refusing to fly back to London from Munich.

As such, in a new update, David Ornstein has revealed that Chelsea would be willing to sanction a permanent departure before the transfer window closes, and they have now started running the rule over potential replacements.

Given a lack of loan options, permanent deals are being explored, with Ornstein revealing the Blues have now made an approach to sign Sporting CP striker Conrad Harder, having lodged an enquiry.

Harder is attracting widespread interest from across Europe, with RB Leipzig and AC Milan recently being named as potential suitors, and the Italian club reportedly even agreed a deal worth €27m (£23m) earlier this week.

However, it seems as though a move could be contingent on getting Jackson off the books, which could be difficult, given that Chelsea are only willing to sanction a permanent exit at this stage.

Harder would be risky signing for Chelsea

The 20-year-old is yet to prove himself in a major European league, having started his career at Nordsjaelland, before moving to Sporting, where he chipped in with a solid, if not spectacular, number of goals during the 2024-25 campaign.

As such, the youngster could be a risky addition to Maresca's squad, and the manager already has Delap on the books as an up-and-coming young striker, so there may be issues surrounding a lack of game time for one of the forwards at a later stage this season.

That's not to say the Sporting starlet isn't an exciting young striker, with scout Jacek Kulig praising him for his "powerful finishing", while also claiming the Dane is a "counter-attacking threat", who has a very good work-rate.

However, it would perhaps make more sense to hold onto the more established Jackson until the January transfer window, at which point Delap should have returned from his hamstring injury.