In search of a defensive midfielder before the end of the French transfer window, Monaco are trawling through unwanted Premier League players to find their man.
As things stand, two players have caught their eye, and one is more feasible than the other.
While Mario Lemina is seen as the ‘most credible’ track, the favoured option appears to be Chelsea’s Tiemoué Bakayoko, whom they know well.
Leonardo Jardim, who returned as their manager last year, was a huge reason behind the Frenchman’s growth at the principality side before his move to Stamford Bridge, and he would like to work with him again.
The fact Frank Lampard doesn’t count on him works in their favour, but Chelsea, according to L’Equipe, are ‘blocking’ his exit back to Ligue 1 for a rather questionable reason.
They state the Blues would prefer to loan Bakayoko to a Premier League side in order for him to have more exposure, allowing them to sell him more easily next summer.
While the idea has some logic behind it, they seem to forget it’s because of his success at Monaco under Leonardo Jardim that they bought the midfielder in the first place.
It’s true the principality side aren’t the force to be reckoned with they used to be, but if one man knows how to get the best out of the 25-year-old, it’s the Portuguese manager.
Either way, for now, Bakayoko seems stuck at Chelsea until January, since English clubs cannot add to their squads for the foreseeable future after their transfer window closed on August 8th.
