Seen as a good deal in Italy for Milan at the time and a great deal in England for Chelsea, Tiémoué Bakayoko’s loan to the Serie A side is turning out to be a disaster for both.
Only making four appearances, all from the bench, in the league and starting solely in the Europa League, the French defensive midfielder is really struggling at his new club, who have an option to buy in the summer, having paid an original €5m for the loan in the first place.
At the rate things are going, that will not be triggered, and it seems like Milan are reaching a critical crossroad in what they end up doing with him.
Describing his time there so far as ‘complicated’, Corriere dello Sport explain the club are willing to give him six to eight games before they decide what to do with him.
It seems that unless he finds his Monaco form in that time period, which seems highly unlikely, Milan might have to ‘go in a different direction’.
Since we doubt Chelsea will want him back midway through the season, that simply means they won’t make the move permanent, and will just wait out the rest of his deal, sending him back to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
In that time, they’ll look at who else they can get to replace him when he leaves.
