Chelsea
Agent Insists Nicolas Jackson Will Not Return to Chelsea as Bayern Move Stays Conditional
Kamara: ‘Absolutely not. Absolutely not.’ Jackson will not return to Chelsea; Bayern deal conditional.24
Nicolas Jackson’s agent Diomansy Kamara has stated unequivocally that the forward will not play for Chelsea again, even though he remains under contract at the west London club. The player and his camp remained in Munich and forced through a move, reportedly agreeing to cover the extra cost Chelsea were demanding themselves.
Bayern Munich are only obligated to trigger the €65 million purchase option if Jackson makes 40 starts this season. That clause leaves the transfer effectively conditional. As Bayern Munich’s honorary president Uli Hoeneß pointed out, this will be very difficult to achieve considering Jackson will miss a significant chunk of the season while on international duty with Senegal at AFCON at the turn of the year.
The 24-year-old has no intention of heading back to Stamford Bridge. When asked on CANAL+ whether his client would ever play for Chelsea again, Kamara replied, “Absolutely not. Absolutely not.”
Kamara added context about the relationship with Chelsea and the coaching staff: “Today at Chelsea, the relationship with [Enzo] Maresca isn’t necessarily the best. We’re never going to bite the hand that feeds us because Chelsea allowed him to find the European level.
“He was there for two years and scored 30 goals, so he always had a good relationship. After, it’s true that the red cards complicated it at Chelsea. Today, we’re looking towards Bayern having a good season. We will see what is best for him. But it’s true that Bayern is a priority for him for a long time.”
Chelsea manager Maresca rejected the suggestion of a falling out, stating: “I didn’t have any kind of problem with Nicolas and I don’t have any problem with Nicolas,” and adding, “Again, he is a good guy, good professional, works well with us and that’s it.”
West London travel to Munich when Bayern host Chelsea in their first league phase encounter of the new Champions League season on Wednesday. UEFA regulations ensure that Jackson will be allowed to face his parent club. Vincent Kompany confirmed conversations with his new signing: “Of course you have the conversation,” and said, “I already probably watched 40 games of Chelsea last season combined, because we were in the Club World Cup together and we faced a lot of the opponents that they faced. Then last season, I think Chelsea was also just an interesting team to observe. So I don’t have the feeling that it’s a team that will deliver a lot of mysteries.
“I happen to know the coach [Maresca] as well. But after a few moments, you realise that you’ve done your homework well or not. I have an idea of what Enzo might be telling his players.
“We have our ideas, we have our tactics, we have everything. But in the end, it’s the players. The players have to show their personality in these games to make a difference.”
Chelsea
UK Government Moves to Sue Over Frozen Chelsea Sale Funds
UK government moves to sue to gain access to frozen funds from Roman Abramovich’s 2022 sale. In U.K.
The UK government is preparing legal action to obtain access to the $3.2 billion held from Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea in 2022. A consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital paid a total of $5.2 billion (£4.25 billion) for the club, with $3.2 billion the final sale price and a pledge of $2 billion in investment over the next 10 years.
The $3.2 billion remains frozen in a U.K. bank account controlled by Fordstam, Abramovich’s company, because the parties have not agreed on the funds’ intended use. The government now says it will pursue litigation to secure the money after negotiations failed to reach a resolution.
A government spokesperson said: “We gave Roman Abramovich his last chance to do the right thing. Once again, he has failed to make the donation he committed to.
“We will now take further steps to ensure that the promise he made at the time of the Chelsea sale is kept.”
The disagreement stems from the wording of the 2022 agreement. Both sides say the money should support victims of the war, but they differ on how that is defined. The government wants to send the entire sum to Ukraine, while Abramovich has argued there are victims of the conflict outside of Ukraine, including in his native Russia.
Legal action was seen as the likely outcome more than 12 months ago, and another year of unsuccessful talks has left the government concluding there is no alternative. Reports of an investigation in Jersey, where some of Abramovich’s money was managed, have added to the uncertainty surrounding the funds.
The draft sale and much of Abramovich’s Chelsea investment were funded through a series of offshore loans, including more than $2 billion interest-free from a Jersey company, Camberley International Investments.
Chelsea
Enzo Fernández’s Plain Reply Deepens Doubts Over Chelsea Direction
Enzo Fernández’s short answer has left Chelsea and Liam Rosenior with serious questions about future.
Chelsea’s European exit left the club with clear on-field problems and a new layer of uncertainty after Enzo Fernández offered a terse assessment of his immediate plans. The Blues were beaten 8–2 on aggregate by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16, a tie settled by goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu.
Fernández, the club’s vice-captain, was asked about his future and responded: “I don’t know,” Fernández said. “I don’t know—right now, I’m thinking here. There are eight games left [in the Premier League ] and the FA Cup and then there’s the World Cup and then we’ll see, we’ll see.”
The midfielder’s sombre mood followed a night in which Mamadou Sarr’s early mistake allowed Kvaratskhelia a simple opening goal after six minutes, and Barcola rifled an uncontested strike into Robert Sánchez’s top corner before the 15-minute mark. Rosenior made significant changes around the hour, withdrawing Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Fernández.
Asked about Fernández’s comments, Rosenior said: “I haven’t seen that. It’s hard for me to speak on speculation after a game,” he mused. “I need to focus right now on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday.”
Rosenior also reflected on the scale of the defeat. “When you go two goals down so early and five goals down on aggregate, it’s a really, really difficult evening,” Rosenior sighed. “We wanted to obviously put up more of a fight than what we did. Credit to PSG. Their possession play was really, really top in the game and over the two legs they deserve to go through.”
Pressed on the wider impact, he added: “That’s my job,” he continued when probed on how he’ll prevent the past seven days from defining Chelsea ’s season. “How I go about that is how we always go about it. We need to be resilient. We need to make sure we go to Everton with an organization, with a freshness and intensity in our team because we want to be in this competition next season … if we perform how I know we can, we can get there without the individual mistakes that we’re making at the moment.”
Fernández has started more games than anybody during 2025–26 and logged the most minutes across all competitions. He is enjoying his best goal return with 12 in all competitions, eight in the Premier League, as Chelsea fight to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
Chelsea
Pedro Neto Given Formal Warning After Ball‑boy Incident, Cleared to Play at Stamford Bridge
Pedro Neto received a formal warning from UEFA’s CEDB after pushing a PSG ball boy in Paris. He said
UEFA’s Control, Ethic and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has issued a formal warning to Chelsea winger Pedro Neto after he pushed a ball boy during last week’s Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain. Neto faced an accusation of unsporting conduct but avoided a fine or suspension.
Neto spoke immediately after the match and expressed clear remorse. “I’m not like this,” he told TNT Sports. “It was in the heat of the moment and I want to apologise. I gave him my shirt. I’m really sorry about it—I feel I have to apologize to him.
“My French is not very good, and Vitinha came over and said to him I was not like this. I said sorry about 35 times. He could see what happened and was happy with the situation.”
Under Article 15 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulation, unsporting conduct can carry a one-match ban. The CEDB noted only a formal warning was required, and it is possible Neto’s immediate contrition influenced the outcome. The regulations also allow typical suspensions to be reduced “if the circumstances of the case so require.”
That decision means Neto is available for the Champions League return leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. He made a positive contribution in Paris, assisting Chelsea’s second goal in the game.
Neto has been a regular this season. Only Enzo Fernández (44) has made more appearances than Neto’s 42 across all competitions. Neto ranks fifth for total minutes on the pitch and has produced 16 goal contributions, with 10 goals and six assists. Those figures are bettered only by Fernández (12 goals, six assists) and João Pedro (18 goals, nine assists).
He should also be reasonably fresh for the midweek fixture, having served a domestic suspension in the Premier League over the weekend as Chelsea lost to Newcastle United.
The formal warning closes the disciplinary chapter, and Neto is free to play as Chelsea prepare to host PSG for the second leg.
