‘Pure madness’ – Chelsea request for signing is laughed off – Blues seen as unreasonable

Tiémoué Bakayoko hasn’t been getting the best coverage in the Italian media in recent days.

On Tuesday, we covered claims from Italy that the Chelsea owned midfielder hasn’t been himself recently. Aware there’s no chance Napoli will work to make his transfer permanent this summer, the player is said to have lost concentration.

Wednesday sees another take, this time from TuttoNapoli. Part of their headline shouts ‘BakayoNo’ which tells its own story, and they go on to say Chelsea’s demands for a permanent deal are ‘pure madness’.

The Frenchman’s performances have been ‘one of the disappointments of the season’ for the Serie A club. His physical condition is questioned, and some of his lapses in concentration described as ‘inexplicable’.

Chelsea are said to want to start negotiations for the player’s sale at €18m, an idea which is laughed off. The Blues request is thought to be unreasonable in the extreme, especially for a player who will have a year left on his contract come the summer.

It’s not clear whether the Naples media want to get over the message that Bakayoko has been a complete disaster and there’s no chance of a permanent deal, or if it’s all part of a plan to talk Chelsea’s valuation down.