Tiémoué Bakayoko not forgotten at AC Milan — report

According to a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Chelsea midfielder Tiémoué Bakayoko’s name has not been forgotten at AC Milan — and not because his season on loan there in 2018-19 ended on a rather sour note.

That’s certainly good news for Bakayoko, whose €40m buy-option has not been picked up by AS Monaco. And it is unlikely that they will activate it after the premature cancellation of the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season.

Milan are reportedly close to bringing in Ralf Rangnick, the former RB Leipzig head coach and current head of international relations and scouting for Red Bull’s football teams, as their new sporting director. Bakayoko is apparently seen by him as one of the ideal options to replace Lucas Biglia, the veteran midfielder who will be leaving the club at the end of the season once his contract expires.

The persistent issue is the financial details however. Milan will not be too eager to pay a fee, especially anywhere close to the buyout, especially in the current economic climate. The 25-year-old does have two more years left on his contract, so a loan could still be a possibility, but Chelsea would surely want to sell and cut our losses on the one-time big summer signing.