Tiemoue Bakayoko is on Galatasaray’s radar as a move for Lucas Torreira looks to be stalling for the Turkish giants.
According to Tutto Mercato Web, Galatasaray are looking at Tiemoue Bakayoko as a potential alternative to Lucas Torreira as a move for the Arsenal midfielder seems to be stalling. The Chelsea midfielder, who is on loan at AC Milan, is unwanted at San Siro, and a move could be discussed in the coming days.
Tiemoue Bakayoko’s career never progressed after that brilliant season with AS Monaco, where he was integral to the team winning the Ligue 1 title and reaching the Champions League semi-finals. His performances warranted a big move to Chelsea, who paid around €40 million to secure his signature in 2017.
After playing the 2017/18 season with Chelsea, Bakayoko has become a journeyman, playing for multiple sides on year-long loan deals. Starting with a year at AC Milan, the midfielder experienced life at former club Monaco, Napoli and then returned to San Siro.
Milan signed him on a two-year loan deal last summer, which includes an obligation to buy the midfielder if certain conditions are met. The Serie A champions will have to pay a fee of €17 million if Bakayoko plays 45 minutes in 15 games.
Milan were careful enough to play him 14 times in Serie A last season, with him playing 45 minutes or more only in a handful of matches. However, Stefano Pioli no longer counts on the midfielder to be a part of his plans and is keen to find a solution to offload Bakayoko in this window.
Galatasaray are keen on Bakayoko and reportedly spoke to Milan regarding the signing. However, the midfielder still belongs to Chelsea until 2024, meaning any discussions must go through the Premier League giants.
The Turkish side are keen on bringing in a quality midfielder during this window and are considering a move for Bakayoko. Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira was their primary target in the last few days, but the move seems to be stalling as things stand.
Arsenal reportedly accepted a fee offered by Galatasaray, but Torreira has not yet made his final decision. It is believed the midfielder would like a move to Valencia, who have shown interest but cannot afford his asking price.
Hence, Bakayoko is suddenly being considered by Galatasaray. For now, the deal looks complicated from the outside, although talks with Chelsea could help resolve the situation.
