Tiemoue Bakayoko has reportedly agreed to lower his wages so he is able to depart Chelsea this summer and sign for AC Milan.
According to Gazette dello Sport, Bakayoko’s agents have already reached a pack with Milan concerning a loan move for their client.
This will be on a reduced salary of €2.5m (£3m) a year from his original income of £5.7m (Spotrac) a year at Chelsea.
A mighty financial shift indeed, but a clear indication the midfielder wants out of Stamford Bridge.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played a competitive match for the Blues since the 2018 FA Cup final against Manchester United.
Since then, he’s featured for Monaco, Milan and Napoli on loan, without truly establishing himself at any of three clubs.
Serie A is evidently his preferred choice of destination. More specifically, the San Siro, where two Chelsea ex-pats already station themselves.
Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud were both sold in the summer in order to fund the record transfer of Romelu Lukaku.
Although Bakayoko’s switch would only be part-time for now, it would help open up space in the squad for another potential signing.
Jules Kounde remains high on the Blues’ priority list and they are certainly trying to strike a deal with Sevilla to recruit the centre-back.
Kurt Zouma had been offered as part of a player plus cash exchange, but that particular swap fell through.
Instead, Zouma is being courted by West Ham United, who have apparently reached an agreement in principle to buy the defender.