The requirement for Bayern Munich to purchase Nicolas Jackson as part of his loan agreement may soon become unattainable.

At 24, Jackson secured a temporary move to the Bundesliga giants from Chelsea during the summer transfer window. His departure was marked by determination after the London club reconsidered allowing him to leave.

This loan came with a hefty £14.2 million fee and an even larger £56.2 million purchase obligation, contingent upon Jackson meeting a specific appearance criterion. Chelsea attempted to retract the arrangement following Liam Delap’s injury. However, Jackson, along with his agent and Bayern, worked diligently to persuade Chelsea to honor the original deal.

The stipulation requires Jackson to start 40 matches, as confirmed earlier in the season by Bayern president Uli Hoeness. To date, the forward has been in the starting lineup for just five games.

Bayern faces a potential total of 23 league matches and an additional 12 in the Champions League. Even if Jackson starts all these games, reaching the 40-start threshold could be complicated by the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Nicolas Jackson is on the verge of already failing to fulfil obligations that would make his Bayern Munich move permanent

The forward has scored four goals for Vincent Kompany’s side, but made just five starts

Though Senegal have not yet named their squad for the competition, Jackson is likely to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Pape Thiaw.

Thiaw’s side will play their first match of the competition on December 23 against Botswana, with Bayern’s last game before the German winter break on December 21. The players involved in the competition, however, will have to be released before that date, meaning Jackson will miss at least one more Bayern game.

In addition to that, his club side will return to action on January 11. Senegal’s last group game is on December 30, but, should they go as far as the final of the competition, they could play as late as January 18.

The perfect run would also require Bayern Munich to play two extra matches in the Champions League in terms of finishing between ninth and 24th in the table and playing a play-off round.

Though Vincent Kompany’s men lost against Arsenal in midweek, they have won all four of their other matches and are currently third in the standings, with three favourable matches remaining in the league phase. 

As Daily Mail Sport revealed earlier this season, however, Jackson and his adviser, the former Portsmouth, West Brom and Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara, are taking little notice of those terms. They believe if Jackson shows he can score, Bayern will find a way to sign him permanently next summer.

Kamara was asked whether he could see Jackson returning to Chelsea, on an episode of Talents D’Afrique shown on Canal+ Sport, to which he replied: ‘Absolutely not. Absolutely not.

‘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.

A return to Chelsea looms, despite his relationship with Enzo Maresca breaking down

‘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.’

On Hoeness’ comments regarding 40 starts, Kamara continued: ‘It’s a war of egos between the two clubs. He even rowed back on his comments. It’s true that there is a saga around the transfer.

‘It was a loan without an obligation to buy. We did a little pushing and said he did not want to return to Chelsea. The clubs reached an agreement. There was talk around how many matches Nico would have to play for an obligatory option.

‘Nico’s objective isn’t to play 40 matches. If he scores 15 goals by December, they’re not going to say play 40 matches.

Jackson has four goals so far this season.