Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has spoken about his desire to return to AC Milan amid a reported loan deal bid prepared by the Serie A side.
It is safe to say the 25-year-old is not in Frank Lampard’s plans for next season.
He is reportedly one of the players Chelsea are looking to offload this summer (Sky Sports), as the Blues plan to restructure their squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Bakayoko spent the past two years on loan at Milan and his old club Monaco after arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2017, and he might head back to Serie A for another loan spell this summer.
According to a report from Sky Italia (via Sky Sports), Milan are currently in talks with Chelsea over a potential loan deal to bring the France international to San Siro.
The report said Milan are keen to sign Bakayoko on another loan deal for a fee of up to €3million (£2.7m) along with an option to buy him next summer for €35m (£31.5m).
Bakayoko himself has opened up about his wish to return to the Serie A.
He told Tuttomercatweb: “Everyone knows that Milan is in my heart and I have good memories.
“At the moment I’m a Chelsea player, then we’ll see in football.”
The reported deal could leave Chelsea in a weak position
Although in total, the reported loan fee and option to buy would be close to the £40m (Goal) Chelsea paid to Monaco three years ago, the deal would not look as appealing if you look at it from a wider perspective.
Monaco had a similar deal last season in which they had an option to sign Bakayoko permanently for €42.5m (£38m – Goal) this summer but understandably could not afford to due to the global pandemic.
There is no guarantee that Milan would not have the same problem next summer.
Bakayoko’s contract expires in two years (2022) and, should he join Milan and they refuse to trigger the permanent option, Chelsea would be in a weaker negotiating position since the midfielder will be in the last year of his contract.
The current transfer window is open until October 5, so Chelsea should have plenty of time to negotiate the deal, perhaps an obligation to buy, instead of an option, or even find other buyers.