One of Chelsea’s key players is being linked with a move away ahead of the summer.

Chelsea suffered a big defeat to Brighton on Friday night to give up ground in the top four race. The Blues also lost to the Seagulls in the FA Cup last week, and back-to-back defeats is hardly good preparations for next weekend’s crucial clash with direct top four rivals Aston Villa.

Enzo Maresca needs to find some answers at both ends of the pitch, with the back line off its game of late, while injuries have made things difficult at the top end of the pitch.

One player who was key to Chelsea’s attacking efforts earlier in the season was Nicolas Jackson, who is currently sidelined with what should be a relatively short term muscular injury. Although, the striker’s form has dipped of late.

Jackson has scored eight Premier League goals overall, but he has only scored once since December 2, and that’s not a record the Blues can deal with from their starting frontman given they are locked in a top four battle. Maresca will be searching for an answer to that when Jackson gets back, while he will be relying on Christopher Nkunku in the meantime.

Interestingly, during Jackson’s absence, he has been linked with a surprise move back to La Liga, with CaughtOffside claiming that Atletico Madrid will make him one of their ‘top targets’ if Antoine Griezmann moves on this summer. Atletico are likely to go after a striker in any case, but Jackson may be out of their price range unless there is a significant sale.

Jackson joined Chelsea for £32million back in 2023, and it’s likely his asking price will have grown to at least £50million by now, and that’s if the Blues would even consider selling him which is unlikely, especially with Nkunku ahead of him in the exit queue.

Midfielder chase

Elsewhere, it is being reported that Arsenal have shown an interest in signing Barcelona talent Marc Casado. According to Cadena SER, a number of English clubs asked about Casado when he was available for a free transfer last season.

In the end, the midfielder penned a new long-term contract to remain with Barcelona until 2028, but Chelsea’s interest is said to remain. Though, it would be a pricey deal, with Casado’s contract carrying a release clause of £83m. Naturally, a deal could be done below that figure, but Barca are not going to want to sell. Casado has made 30 appearances across all competitions so far this season, and 17 of those are La Liga starts.

Your next Chelsea read, Maresca confirms Chelsea injury blow after 'worst performance'