Not kept by AS Monaco despite the principality club having the option to make his loan move permanent, Tiemoué Bakayoko is a bit of a problem for Chelsea this summer.
Frank Lampard has made it relatively clear the France international doesn’t fit among his plans, meaning a new way out, whether it be temporary or permanent, will need to be sorted out in the coming months.
There’s time for that to happen, what with the extended transfer window and all that, and there is already an interested party in Italy.
That’s Milan, a club Bakayoko knows well from his previous loan spell there, and TuttoMercatoWeb report a move back to Italy ‘is more than just an idea’, as those in charge would welcome him back, ‘convinced that a midfield of him and [Ismaël] Bennacer could support [Ralf] Rangnick’s 4231’.
The problem remains the player’s wages, as it’s ‘almost certain’ the Serie A side will have a salary cap next year, and his €6.5m/year are above that.
However, it’s said ‘it wouldn’t be a huge problem’ as they could spread his money over a longer deal, such as a four-year one, allowing to pay him €4m/year until he’s 30, breaking the €3m ceiling for both him and potentially Luka Jovic.
As for the transfer fee, it’s claimed Chelsea would want €20m, which, if true, shows how badly they would like to get him off their wage bill, seeing as their initially paid Monaco €40m for his services in 2017.
