Rumors around the Premier League claim that Chelsea and Galatasaray are going through negotiations talk that may send mid-fielder Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan to the Turkish club. The midfielder may yet be again out for another season-long loan.
Bakayoko was acquired by Chelsea in 2017 for £40 million. Bakayoko helped French club Monaco win the Ligue 1 title before he was acquired by the English club. Moreover, he also played a vital role in Monaco's semi-final run the season before that.
Bakayoko was acquired in order to replace Nemanja Matic in Chelsea's squad. However, the 24-year-old midfielder went off to a rocky start and failed to find his footing. As a result of his subpar performance, he was eventually sent on loan to AC Milan the whole of last season.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard had said on a number of occasions that he is keen into giving all of his players a fresh start with the club. However, it would appear that Bakayoko is not part of his plans for the upcoming season. It is important to note here that Bakayoko did not play in Chelsea's last two pre-season matches against Borussia Monchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg. Some sports analysts have interpreted this as a sign that the Blues are ready to move on.
Chelsea had negotiated with AC Milan for yet another loan season for Bakayoko. However, the Italian club did not agree to Chelsea's £32 million valuation for the mid-fielder. With AC Milan out of the picture, in came Galatasaray. A number of reports claim that the Turkish club is already on the final terms of negotiation for this deal.
Chelsea was relatively quiet during the entire transfer season. The club did not sign any new player. However, Chelsea manager Lampard still has a number of notable midfielders at his disposal. Lampard's wide-ranging pool of midfielders includes N'Golo Kante, Ross Barkley, Jorginho, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Mateo Kovacic, who joined the Blues from Real Madrid, will also join this growing roster of midfielders.
Apart from Bakayoko being on the loan block, Chelsea is also looking to offload some of its non-homegrown assets in order to make sure that it meets Premier League regulations. The club has also placed Italian right-back Davide Zappacosta on the transfer block.
During his stint with AC Milan, Bakayoko played for 31 matches in the Serie A league. Despite this quite prolific stint, AC Milan did not opt for a permanent transfer due to Financial Fair Play rules.
