AC Milan reportedly in ‘advanced’ talks with Chelsea about Bakayoko

Reports are breaking that Chelsea midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko could be on the move to AC Milan.

Milan are in need of a defensive midfielder, with current options Lucas Biglia and Manuel Locatelli both underwhelming for various reasons, and Gennaro Gattuso has called for the addition of an “important” midfielder to bolster the squad.

The 23 year-old France international midfielder made a big-money move from AS Monaco to Chelsea last year, but his transition to England wasn’t always very smooth, and it’s rumored that his style of play won’t be a good fit under new Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri.

Milan would be interested in taking the former Stade Rennais man on loan right now, as Milan still look to get out from under any FFP obligations that the previous team of Marco Fassone and Massimiliano Mirabelli got the team into during their spending spree last summer under previous owner Yonghong Li. The team would almost certainly agree to a option or obligation to buy at the end of the loan deal, as those deals look to be all the rage for clubs to use to get around FFP and UEFA rules. It might not be 100% fair, but hey, hate the game, not the player.

So far, Leonardo has done a brilliant job of recruitment at Milan, bringing in a proven goalscorer in Gonzalo Higuain on a loan and swapping want-away defender Leonardo Bonucci for rising star Mattia Caldara.

Landing a young midfielder that is only one year removed from a brilliant season with Monaco and a giantic transfer fee on a loan deal would be another transfer coup for Milan. Bakayoko was one of the most sought-after players during last year summer transfer window, and while it hasn’t seemed to work out as well as everyone hoped in the Premier League, Bakayoko’s talent cannot be denied.