Chelsea, AC Milan still in talks over Tiémoué Bakayoko — report

Since the efforts of Tiémoué Bakayoko back in France with his former club AS Monaco did not yield expected results (i.e. a permanent transfer/return to the principality), the Chelsea midfielder now wants to give it another shot at another familiar location: the San Siro stadium, where he played at for one season during a loan stint with AC Milan.

The interest between the Serie A side and Bakayoko is loud, clear and mutual. But the “third wheel” in the relationship, Chelsea, are not yet too keen on the couple getting together even if only for another year. Thus, talks between Milan and Chelsea over Bakayoko’s return to Italy on a new loan deal are still ongoing, according to an update from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Inside Futbol).

It should not be much of a surprise that the “buying side”, Milan, want to pay as little money as possible to Chelsea, the “sellers” in this potential transaction, which may or may not include a buy-option. Milan are also keen on taking Bakayoko before football returns for them on September 17th, when they face Irish club Shamrock Rovers in the first leg of an Europa League qualifying match.

To do that, they need to strike an agreement with the Blues as soon as possible. That will not happen if they continue to “low ball” at the negotiation table.