Manchester United make Bakayoko inquiry, joining Arsenal, PSG interest — report

As preparations begin in earnest for the forthcoming season under the much-idolized Frank Lampard, there are certain players whose futures remain unresolved. The club have a significant amount of work to do in order to decide and whittle down the squad even in this transfer-banned summer. Chief amongst those uncertainties is the future of Tiémoué Bakayoko, who’s competing against an already stacked midfield boasting the likes of N’Golo Kanté, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount and the perennially present Danny Drinkwater.

While Bakayoko managed to flip the narrative during his season on loan at AC Milan, going from flop to key player, his hopes of a permanent stay did not materialize as the team finished outside of the Champions League qualifying spots (and then voluntarily gave up European participation altogether as part of a deal struck with UEFA for FFP violations).

Having returned to Chelsea, Bakayoko’s agent claimed the Blues were now the priority, but the rumor mill has been steadily linking him with moves away instead.

Most of those have involved PSG, where the new sporting director is Leonardo, who brought Bakayoko to Milan last summer. The Parisians have reportedly “been in regular contact” with Bakayoko’s entourage, but today, RMC Sport reports that Manchester United have made an inquiry as well, while Arsenal are in the picture, too. Plenty of options!

However, Bakayoko’s currently attending Chelsea training camp in Dublin, and no decision on his future is expected until after that finishes next weekend. The report claims that Lampard himself will sit down with the 24-year-old to figure out his next best move, whatever that may be.

Bakayoko seems to have exorcised the ghosts of his first Chelsea season while in Milan, and there’s definitely still time for him to live up to the expectations placed on him during his Monaco days and his big-money transfer to Chelsea in 2017. Whether he will actually do that at Chelsea is not quite as certain...