Lukaku pay off continues as ordeal nearing end for expensive Chelsea flop
Tiemoue Bakayoko may be set to end his tortuous spell at Chelsea after reports that two French clubs are keen to sign him this summer.
The 26-year-old signed for the Blues in the summer of 2017. The west Londoners paid Monaco in the region of £40m for the midfielder but it was not money well spent. He was given every opportunity to impress during 2017-2018, making 24 starts among 29 Premier League appearances.
But the France international struggled to adapt to English football and was heavily criticised for his displays. Chelsea had seen enough and the Parisian was loaned to Milan for the following campaign.
He made 31 Serie A appearances for the Rossoneri but again failed to impress. Labelled ‘confused’ and ‘a disaster’ by the media, it was no surprise when he returned to Chelsea.
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However, a loan to former club Monaco followed while he was sent to Napoli for the whole of 2020-2021. He linked up once again with Gennaro Gattuso in Naples who had been in charge of Milan during his San Siro experience.
A report in July claimed Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was willing to give him another chance at the Bridge. However, Bakayoko is said to have informed the club his preference was to return to Italy.
That seems unlikely but French outfits Rennes and Lyon are now battling for his signature, according to Calciomercato. There has been no mention of a price but an exit makes sense as Chelsea try to offset Romelu Lukaku’s fee.
Bakayoko a costly mistake
Bakayoko was Chelsea’s second most expensive signing at the time of his arrival after Fernando Torres. He was handed a chance with Antonio Conte in charge but Maurizio Sarri saw things differently.
Frank Lampard was also not a fan and it seems obvious he needs to find a new club. Lyon were mentioned as possible suitors earlier this week by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Rennes link surfaced on Sunday. And he did spend five years in the Rennes youth setup and one year in the senior side earlier in his career.
Bakayoko featured for Tuchel’s side in pre-season but, as expected, is now back on the peripheries. He did not play in the UEFA Super Cup victory over Villarreal.
And the man with one France cap was not the squad for the opening Premier League victory over Crystal Palace.
Bakayoko could follow another forgotten player, Tammy Abraham, out of the club as he is set to sign for Roma.
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