Chelsea midfielder, currently on loan at AC Milan, Tiemoue Bakayoko has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Valencia.
Calciomercato report that Valencia have identified Tiemoue Bakayoko as a possible summer transfer target. The Frenchman is currently on a two-year loan at AC Milan from Chelsea but could move this summer after failing to impress in the limited opportunities he got this past season.
Bakayoko has failed to impress since his €40 million move to Chelsea from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017. He was loaned out to Milan just a year later, and temporary spells in Monaco and Napoli followed. But Bakayoko couldn’t do enough to get into the Blues’ first team.
Milan signed him temporarily again in the 2021 window, this time on a two-year loan with an option to make the move permanent for a reported fee of €15 million. But the 27-year-old wasn’t presented with enough chances to make a case for himself. He played a total of just 607 minutes across competitions for the Rossoneri.
Bakoyoko is naturally eager to move to a club where he would be offered significant game time, and Valencia have emerged as a possible option. The La Liga side are set to appoint Gennaro Gattuso as their next manager, under whom Bakayoko played at Milan and Napoli.
Gattuso has added the Frenchman to his list of targets and reportedly shares a close bond with the midfielder. Milan are set to discuss the player’s future with his entourage to find a solution which could suit all parties involved. The Blues are firm with their stance and want the sum they were promised by Milan in the first place.
This is where Valencia could come into the picture. The La Liga side have reportedly made first contact with the Frenchman’s agents, and a move could be expected shortly.
Bakayoko has played in the Premier League, Ligue 1 and Serie A so far and will get his first taste of Spanish football should he join Valencia this summer. He was also linked with a winter move to Sevilla but it didn’t materialise. Whether another reunion with Gattuso materialises in the summer remains to be seen.
