When it comes to Tiemoué Bakayoko, Milan and Chelsea are both in a bit of a pickle.
The Blues don’t particularly want the French midfielder back since Maurizio Sarri made it clear the France international didn’t fit into his plans, hence €5m + €35m purchase clause loan to the Serie A side.
Over in Italy, despite some rather awful early performances, the 24-year-old has won everybody over, and the general consensus is that Milan should make the move permanent, if they can afford it.
The problem is that, as things stand, they can’t, as they already have to pay Atalanta €28m for Franck Kessie, among other expenditures.
That’s why it’s absolutely crucial for Gennaro Gattuso and co. to clinch Champions League qualification for next season if they want to keep the Chelsea loanee.
Gazzetta dello Sport explain his future in Milan is ‘linked’ to that extra money, and there’s little chance of him remaining without it.
Milan are currently fifth in the league after 19 games, one point behind fourth place (the first CL spot), currently occupied by Lazio.
