Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has given his ‘total willingness’ to move to Napoli and talks are now underway to make the transfer happen.
That’s according to Corriere Dello Sport, who back up claims elsewhere in Italy about the potential deal.
Earlier today we covered a report from Calciomercato.it that stated Bakayoko had expressed his willingness to make the move and the two clubs were working on a loan deal.
They stated that there was already an agreement over an onerous loan, but the main sticking point was Bakayoko’s €6m a year wages.
Corriere back this up somewhat, although they suggest that the agreement between the two clubs is not as advanced as Calciomercato.it say it is.
According to them, Bakayoko has been in touch with Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso, who he played under at AC Milan, and made it clear he wants the move. Indeed, Napoli are described as his ‘priority’.
However, the Serie A side are yet to reach an agreement with Chelsea on the deal, which will be either a dry loan or a loan with a purchase option. This is the ‘knot’ that needs undoing.
Either way, the midfielder is Napoli’s ‘primary objective’, and they want to get a deal done with Chelsea somehow.
The newspaper also take an opposite stance to Calciomercato on wages too. They say there is ‘no problem’ on that front because Chelsea ‘will participate’. In other words, they’ll pay part of it.
The main sticking point is the transfer itself, with Napoli wanting a ‘dry, expensive loan’ but Chelsea proposing a loan deal with a €30m option to buy.
