Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has held direct talks with Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, as the search for an Ollie Watkins replacement continues.

Watkins was left out of Villa's squad for the trip to the American Express Stadium on Sunday, and it would be fair to say Emery missed his striker, with his side succumbing to a 4-0 defeat against Brighton.

When asked whether it was his decision to leave the England international out, Emery refused to give a clear answer, suggesting it was better to speak to Watkins directly.

As Al-Hilal are pushing to seal a deal, the Villans have set out to bring in a new striker, and Jackson is a target, with informal discussions already taking place.

Although the Senegalese forward played second fiddle to Harry Kane on loan at Bayern Munich last season, he impressed when given the nod, averaging 0.72 goals per 90 in the Bundesliga, and finishing the campaign with eight goals in 23 matches.

In fact, the 25-year-old maintained a better average than Watkins, who ranked second for goals per 90 in the Villa squad in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, although he did manage to get on the scoresheet 16 times.

The former Villarreal man known Emery well from their time working together in Spain, and he impressed football writer Jonan Adnan Giaever when he was a La Liga player.

Unai Emery pushing to bring Nicolas Jackson to Aston Villa

Emery is now personally getting involved in Aston Villa's pursuit of Jackson, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states the Spaniard has held direct talks with the striker, in a bid to lure him to Villa Park.

The Chelsea marksman is now keen on a reunion with his former manager, which states a deal could be possible, should the Villans be willing to stump up the hefty asking price of £65m.

Tottenham Hotspur have also made enquiries regarding a deal for the Senegal international, who is expected to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis this summer, with the Blues uninterested in sending him out on loan again and keen to shift his £100,000-a-week wages.

Emery may be delighted if Villa are able to get a deal done, considering he spoke very fondly of his experience of working with Jackson at Chelsea, saying: "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."