Chelsea are reportedly in talks with European giants Galatasaray over a season-long loan move for out-of-favour midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Galatasaray have held talks with Chelsea over a possible season-long loan deal for Tiemoue Bakayoko. The Blues are ready to offload the French midfielder, who did not find a taker in AC Milan.
Tiemoue Bakayoko was a key contributor to the famous AS Monaco campaign in 2016-17, wherein the Principality club shocked everyone by beating PSG to the Ligue 1 title. And, as was seen in the subsequent summer transfer window that followed, Bakayoko was part of the mass exodus that ripped the squad apart, with the Frenchman joining Chelsea.
The switch to Premier League football, however, did not pan out as he would have hoped for, with Bakayoko flitting in and out of the side all season long. Having failed to establish himself as a regular in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea decided to ship him out on loan to AC Milan last summer.
The Frenchman had his initial struggles at San Siro as well. But, he eventually managed to become one of the first names on the team sheet before the season ended in controversial circumstances, having had a run-in with Gennaro Gattuso. AC Milan subsequently decided against using their £32 million purchase option, meaning Bakayoko returned to Chelsea.
But, the 24-year-old does not seem to have a future with the Blues, who are prepared to offload him this summer. And, it looks like Chelsea seem to have found his next destination, having engaged in talks with Galatasaray over the prospect of sending the midfielder out on another loan move.
The Turkish champions have promoted a number of youngsters ahead of the new season. But, as far as recognised options go, club captain Selcuk Iman and Ryan Donk are well in their thirties, leaving on-loan midfielder Jean Michael Seri as the only remaining midfielder. As a result, a move for Bakayoko could make sense.
Bakayoko has also expressed his desire to join PSG, but there has been no forthcoming interest from Les Parisiens. Hence, another season-long loan move makes sense for the French midfielder, this time to join Galatasaray.
There finally seems to be some transfer movement regarding Chelsea players, with Danny Drinkwater also expected to depart from Stamford Bridge soon. It now remains to be seen if Galatasaray can land Bakayoko, who does not feature Frank Lampard’s plans for the upcoming campaign.
