Chelsea are looking to offload out-of-favour midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and the French midfielder is set to get reunited with his former manager, Leonardo Jardim at AS Monaco. Monaco are going through a transition period and Bakayoko’s experience and quality will help Jardim and his men in the upcoming Ligue 1 season. The 24-year old joined Chelsea two years ago from the Ligue 1 outfit after serving a stint in Serie A for AC Milan, as he failed to cement his place in the Premier League.
Bakayoko struggled with life in West London and hence decided to move elsewhere on loan. He was decent with the Rossoneri until Gennaro Gattuso and the French midfielder had a burst up on the sidelines. Bakayoko can control the tempo of the game and is a tremendous ball progressor. His passing and game reading helped Milan a lot in the heart of midfield and letting him go back to Chelsea was a decision that can come back to haunt them later in the season.
With only 17 overseas players allowed for Frank Lampard, the Blues gaffer has decided to sacrifice the French midfielder this season, as players like N’golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Matteo Kovacic are considered better options in midfield over the 24-year old.
Turkish side, Galatasaray have also been in negotiations with Chelsea regarding Bakayoko’s availability. with decent performances for AC Milan in the Serie A last season the former Monaco man will get his chances to redeem himself in Europe but it’s on him and the management to decide where his future lies.
The Blues are eager to allow Bakayoko to depart from Stamford Bridge and AC Milan were happy with the player until the burst up he had with Gattuso and they denied to pay the asking price of £32m, as it was too much according to their valuation considered they failed to qualify for the Champions League this season.
Monaco, on the other hand, was a top side in France when Bakayoko left the club and since then their aura has not been the same. Jardim was sacked and Thierry Henry was given the duty to lead the side as a manager which the French legend failed miserably and left the side in threatened for relegation. Leonardo Jardim was reelected as the team found some form in the back end of the season and somehow gathered points to finish lowly in 17th position in the Ligue 1 table, just managing to avoid the relegation playoff.
The Les Monegasques have made some interesting additions to their squad in this transfer window, the star of the window has been the addition of Wissam Ben Yedder from Sevilla. Other inclusions include Benjamin Lecomte from Montpellier, Gelson Martins move from Atletico Madrid has been made permanent, while Henry Onyekuru also joins from Everton after spending a year loan in Galatasaray. However there were a few departures aswell and the biggest of the lot was Ronny Lopes’ move out of the club to join Sevilla, while Djibril Sidibe joined Everton and Leicester City made the Youri Tielemans deal permanent.
Bakayoko can add the experience in midfield and he knows the club and the fans, hence it will be easier for the 24-year old to get his career back on track.
