Chelsea have pulled Nicolas Jackson out of his proposed loan move to Bayern Munich and ordered the striker to return to London, despite the 24-year-old already travelling to Germany for a medical.

The decision comes after Liam Delap sustained a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham, with manager Enzo Maresca warning the forward could be sidelined for up to eight weeks.

It leaves Chelsea suddenly short in attack, with João Pedro – who has scored five goals in five starts – as the club’s only fit senior striker.

The dramatic turnaround followed a frantic 24 hours in which Christopher Nkunku sealed a £36m move to AC Milan, Jackson flew to Germany to finalise his loan, and Delap limped off early at Stamford Bridge.

Sources report that Jackson is frustrated by the collapse of the £13m deal, though efforts could still be made to revive it.

When asked about the situation after the Fulham match, Maresca admitted he had “no idea” whether Jackson’s switch would go ahead, adding:

“When you have two strikers, it’s enough. When one of them is injured for different weeks, probably it’s not enough.”

Chelsea are due to face Bayern in the Champions League on 17 September, with Jackson now set to remain available for selection.