Chelsea are preparing for life without Tiemoue Bakayoko and are willing to listen to offers after the Frenchman failed to impress Frank Lampard in pre-season.
According to Daily Mail, Chelsea are open to selling Tiemoue Bakayoko, following the midfielder’s struggles in the pre-season friendlies. The Frenchman was part of the club’s pre-season preparations, and he took part in the friendlies. But, his mediocre performances were not enough to convince Frank Lampard.
Chelsea have been hit a nasty transfer ban that has restricted them from making any new signings till next summer. But that hasn’t deterred the newly-appointed manager from trimming unwanted players from the current squad, it seems.
Bakayoko joins Alvaro Morata and Tomas Kalas in the list of Chelsea’s unwanted players prior to the start of the new season. Both Kalas and Morata have already left the club, with the latter joining Atletico Madrid on a permanent basis after initially moving to the club on a loan deal at the start of this year.
As for the Frenchman, he publicly voiced his ambition of joining his hometown club Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer. But, it’s unlikely that the French champions would make a move for the 24-year-old despite his promising loan spell with AC Milan last season.
Chelsea, on the other hand, could potentially rue the departure of Bakayoko. The Blues, aside from N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, lack the services of any reliable defensive midfielder, having already sent Ethan Ampadu out on loan to RB Leipzig this summer.
That means Lampard may have to rely on someone like Danny Drinkwater playing as a number six, should both Kante and Jorginho get injured during the course of the upcoming campaign. Besides, the Chelsea legend may have been a bit too quick in judging the quality of Bakayoko, who, as mentioned earlier, enjoyed an impressive spell in the Serie A.
The ex-Monaco star can offer the physical presence in midfield, which, coupled with Kante’s tenacity, could add another dimension to the Chelsea midfield. Additionally, the Frenchman’s robust style of play could make the Blues much more vigilant in the middle third of the pitch.
Bakayoko can play in a more advanced role in midfield as well – versatility that will provide Lampard extra options, especially when it comes to squad rotations. Hence, it would perhaps be wiser for Chelsea to keep hold of this highly-talented defensive midfielder this summer as they look to cope with the transfer ban.
