Chelsea are on their way to make their first signing of the summer in the form of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco. The French midfield enforcer is currently being considered as one of the best in the world and has played a major role in bringing glory to his current club in the recently concluded season, by helping them to become the French Ligue 1 champions after 17 long years. He has also been instrumental in taking his club to enter the semi-final of the Champions League, where they bowed out to Italian champions Juventus over two hard-fought legs.
Bakayoko has been eyed by Chelsea for quite a long time, and the Blues have been in discussion to bring in their prized possession to their club in the next season. The West London club are already in line to pay £36.7 million in order to bring in the player into the team for the next season. Latest reports suggest that the French midfielder has already arrived in London to complete his medical and has also agreed to personal terms regarding the transfer.
Antonio Conte, the current coach of Chelsea, under whom they lifted their sixth Premier League title in the last term, has been looking to make subtle changes to his line-up for the next season and is much interested in bringing in the Monaco midfielder to make a big impact in the playing style of the team.
He has been looking to bring him in so as to provide ample support for his master enforcer N’Golo Kante in place of Nemanja Matic, who might be departing to Manchester United, in the centre of the midfield. Kante received his first PFA Player of the Year award for his heroics last term after he made the switch from former champions Leicester City during the summer transfer window in the previous year.
With the prospect of competing in the Champions League next term, the Blues are in dire need of a player like Bakayoko in the new 3-4-3 formation and give them the much-needed impetus to come out on top against some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
The most probable line-up that the Blues can opt for in the next season with Bakayoko is-
Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Bakayoko, Kante, Alonso, Pedro, Lukaku, Hazard.
Though there has been no official word from Chelsea over the signing of Lukaku from Everton, with Diego Costa out of the picture, there is every possibility for the Belgian to start for the Blues next term.
