Chelsea are ready to slash their asking price for Teimoue Bakayoko to £20 million in an attempt to raise money from player sales.
According to a report published by The Sun, Chelsea have cut down their asking price for Teimoeu Bakayoko from £37.5 million to £20 million in a desperate bid to push the Frenchman out.
Bakayoko joined Chelsea from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017 after an incredible season with the French club, overcoming odds and defeating the favourites and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. His move to Monaco did not start as brilliantly, though. After switching Stade Rennais for the Les Monegasques, but failed to find a regular starting spot in the team till 2016/17.
He appeared in 32 games that season deployed in a box-to-box midfielder role, scoring two goals and assisting once. The Frenchman was key in Monaco’s high-pressure, vertical style of play, winning a lot of turnovers, which ultimately resulted in a counter-attack. He also helped to provide cover for the full-backs as they moved ahead to provide width in attacks.
A move to bigger and better things was imminent and the then-English champions Chelsea came calling for his signature in the hope to defend their title. However, it turned out to be too big a leap for Bakayoko, who failed to find his feet in the Premier League despite having all the necessary qualities to succeed in a physical competition.
Stamford Bridge hosts very demanding fans who have a history of not giving a lot of second chances. Bakayoko’s problems started early in his maiden campaign at Chelsea, making unforced errors which continued throughout the season. The Frenchman would constantly misplace passes, give away possession and would be caught out due to poor positioning.
He subsequently failed to find room in Maurizio Sarri’s system and was shipped out on loan to AC Milan by Chelsea in the 2018/19 season. Bakayoko did turned things around in Serie A and was one of the few shining lights for the Rossoneri in an otherwise deranged season. Despite his excellent season, Milan refused to trigger his £32 million optional buy-out clause.
But the Serie A outfit have come calling again after securing a Europa League berth, with Bakayoko, too, enjoying a fairly solid campaign on loan at AS Monaco. Their interest makes sense as well, with Ismael Bennacer linked with a possible summer departure. Milan’s £13.5 valuation of the 25-year-old, though, falls short of what Chelsea want.
But, with all three parties desperate for this move to happen, the Blues are ready to take half – £20 million – of what they paid for him in order to raise money from player sales and fund the move for Kai Havertz. What now remains to be seen is if the move does come to fruition, with Bakayoko’s time at Chelsea seemingly up.
