With his consistently good performances at Ligue 1 leaders AS Monaco this season, young French midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko has been firmly on the radar of many top European clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United and many others. All those clubs will be pleased to hear that the 22-year-old has rejected an approach by Monaco to extend his contract with the club, according to a report from French newspaper Le Parisien (via Metro).
Bakayoko was one of Chelsea's reported targets for the winter transfer window, but the player ruled out a transfer in mid-season. However, he did admit back in December that the Premier League 'makes you dream' after interest was first reported from English club.
While Bakayoko will surely remain concentrated on his tasks in Ligue 1 and the Champions League as Monaco continue their surprising and free-scoring charge towards the French title, he will no doubt continue attracting transfer interest as well.
With his contract ending on June 2019, the €40 million price tag reportedly hung on him by Monaco is a bit steep. But given his quality at such a young age and his potential to improve, it is understandable that many teams might be willing to pay top money to acquire someone like Bakayoko.