Aston Villa offered £80m player after Evan Guessand, Unai Emery loves him

Aston Villa have been offered the chance to sign another player after they finally sealed their first major outfield signing of the summer.

Unai Emery can breathe a sigh of relief with the arrival of striker Evan Guessand from Nice, who joins the Villans for an initial £26 million, which could rise to £30 million with add-ons (BBC).

It took months for the Midlands side to confirm a noteworthy arrival ahead of what is a vital Premier League campaign, but Guessand will now be available for selection ahead of their first league game of the season against Newcastle next Saturday.

Out of the versatile Ivorian’s 30 Ligue 1 starts last term, 10 of them came at centre-forward, with Guessand starting a further eight on the right-wing and nine as a second striker.

The 24-year-old also notched a brilliant 13 goals and 10 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, so it is safe to say Emery has secured an excellent replacement for Marcus Rashford at a pretty good price.

It comes as a piece of great news for Emery, following a window dominated by PSR concerns and rumours of key men potentially leaving Villa Park.

Further encouragement for Villa supporters comes via reports that their side may not be done with Guessand, as links continue to surround a move for wantaway Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.

The Senegalese, who worked with Emery at Villarreal, is expected to leave Stamford Bridge before deadline day on September 1 (Fabrizio Romano), and Villa’s head coach has already expressed his real admiration for the 24-year-old.

“We worked during the one year on his skill, he improved his understanding better, how he could exploit his potential, and playing minutes and getting experiences was the next step,” Emery told Sky Sports about Jackson.

“But his attitude as well was fantastic. He was always learning. He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority in his life.”

Aston Villa offered Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson

Now, talkSPORT report that Villa have been offered the chance to sign Jackson. Enzo Maresca’s side value the African, who’s ready to leave the west London club, at around £80 million – which is just a no-go for most interested clubs.

However, there is a concession that Chelsea will most likely need to reduce their asking price for the attacker if they’re to find a buyer.

There is also the possibility of Chelsea green-lighting a loan deal for Jackson, which is far more feasible from Villa’s perspective, but the Blues would want an obligation to buy clause inserted into the deal.

Jackson bagged 13 goals and six assists in all competitions last season, but Joao Pedro and Liam Delap’s arrivals have now pushed him down Maresca’s pecking order.

The centre-forward has also scored just one Premier League goal since the turn of 2025 and got sent off during Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign, so Jackson could gain a valuable new lease of life working under Emery again in the Midlands.

Peter Crouch called Jackson “unbelievable” at points last season, and claimed the player deserves more respect for his contributions at Chelsea.