Milan Close to Reaching Agreement to Sign Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko on Loan
By Adam Aladay
Milan are said to be 'close' to reaching an agreement with Chelsea to sign midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan, while they will also have the chance to make the move permanent for around €30m.
Bakayoko is free to leave Stamford Bridge this summer as he isn't considered part of Frank Lampard's plans. The midfielder spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Milan before joining former club Monaco temporarily for the following campaign. He started 20 of the Ligue 1 side's 28 league games before their season was ended prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monaco had the option to make Bakayoko's loan move permanent for around €42.5m, but they decided against it. With the Blues looking to offload the 26-year-old this summer, a number of clubs have shown an interest - notably Milan.
It has previously been suggested Bakayoko is keen on moving back to Milan and is willing to take a pay cut to make it happen, while Chelsea were prepared to lower their asking price to just £20m to encourage the Serie A outfit to make a move. However, Fabrizio Romano has now reported that the Rossoneri are close to finalising a loan deal for the Frenchman.
Milan are expected to pay €3m for the loan, while they will have the option to make the transfer permanent for €30m. The two clubs remain in contact as they look to finalise the agreement and iron out the finer details.
Bakayoko is said to be earning around £100,000 a week at Chelsea, with just under two years remaining on his current contract. The Premier League club will have been keen to offload him on a permanent basis this summer in order to raise funds, but it appears as though they will have to settle for a loan for the upcoming season.
Milan have shown an interest in a number of other defensive midfielders. They are said to be close to agreeing a loan-to-buy deal with Brescia for Sandro Tonali, while Benfica's Florentino Luis has also been mentioned a number of times recently.