Finally, Tiémoué Bakayoko to Chelsea is done.
After ‘coming hours’ claims from the French media turned quickly into ‘coming days’, and with doubts about the player’s injury status, Chelsea have shown some determination to get this deal across the line.
France’s RMC report simply ‘it’s done’ and say Bakayoko will sign for Chelsea on Friday, after passing a medical, for a fee of around €45m. The midfielder will be contracted to the Premier League champions for a period of five years.
It’s being treated as completely agreed, but then that’s been the case for a while in France, where claims of Manchester United interest have been largely ignored.
After the Romelu Lukaku fiasco, this was an important one for Chelsea, and perhaps even if Bakayoko’s leg is hanging off at the knee, the club will make sure he gets through that medical so a deal can be announced quickly.
The fitness worries won’t go away, and it’s now down to Chelsea to decide how to treat Bakayoko’s knee issue. In France surgery was presented as an option, which would mean a couple of months out, but Chelsea may choose to try and avoid that at all costs.
