Chelsea might be on the verge of offloading Tiemoue Bakayoko, who has reportedly attracted the interest of AC Milan.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, AC Milan are keen on the services of Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko. The Frenchman has been identified as one of two midfield targets for the Serie A giants this summer with the other being RB Salzburg superstar Diadie Samassekou.
It is believed that the Italian outfit are eager to add some competition in midfield despite boasting the likes of Lucas Biglia, Franck Kessie and Giacomo Bonaventura, among many others.
Key midfielder Ricardo Montolivo and Argentine international Biglia have already entered the final phase of their respective careers. As a result, AC Milan head coach, Gennaro Gattuso is keen on bringing in some reinforcements in the centre of the pitch.
Milan have now identified Chelsea midfielder, Bakayoko as the perfect man to revamp their midfield unit next season. The Frenchman, who has flopped since moving from AS Monaco, could be on the chopping block at Stamford Bridge after an underwhelming maiden campaign.
Bakayoko initially arrived at Chelsea last summer on the back of a title-winning campaign with AS Monaco. But, since his move to England, the Frenchman has failed to impose his authority, often getting overwhelmed by the fast-paced nature of the Premier League.
As a result, the 23-year-old could only muster a little over 2000 minutes of league action for Chelsea last season. Despite his sheer physical prowess, Bakayoko appeared tentative against most of the teams in the English top flight.
While he was guilty of giving away possession at regular intervals, he also failed to use his physical attributes to dominate the opposing midfield as Chelsea went through a highly disappointing campaign.
And following the arrival of Maurizio Sarri, Bakayoko could be set to face the axe from Chelsea, largely due to his lack of ball retention qualities. The Blues have already signed Napoli superstar Jorginho while also actively looking for another midfielder in the market.
Thus, a move away from Stamford Bridge is the most logical choice for the former Monaco midfielder and AC Milan, in that regard, could be an ideal destination. The Rossoneri‘s struggles in the Serie A for the past few seasons have been well documented while their financial problems have led them to a sustained period of mediocrity.
Having said that, head coach Gattuso is keen to reassert Milan’s authority as one of Italy’s best teams in near future and someone like Tiemoue Bakayoko might exactly be what he was looking for. For the player too, it will represent an opportunity to start afresh after his struggles with Chelsea.
