After his improved performances over the past month, it was only a matter of time before the Italian media started talking seriously about Milan making Tiemoué Bakayoko’s loan deal permanent, and Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday have got the ball rolling.
With the Serie A club now in a Champions League spot, and talk of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cesc Fabregas potentially arriving in January, there’s a belief the feat of qualifying for Europe’s elite competition can be achieved.
As Bakayoko has no interest in returning to Stamford Bridge after Maurizio Sarri made it clear the France international isn’t a part of his plans, everyone could find themselves in a permanent transfer, which Milan can easily complete by paying the Blues the pre-agreed €35m.
However, with FFP constantly looming and some potentially expensive (wage wise) acquisitions on the way, Gazzetta explain the Italians are looking to convince Chelsea to lower their demands for the defensive midfielder.
It’s still early days, but the idea of turning the loan into something more permanent is definitely on Milan’s minds now, something which looked completely inconceivable just four or so weeks ago.
Bakayoko, who was in and out of the team originally, has started and completed the last seven games for his club, of which they’ve lost just one, against Juventus.
