Chelsea’s search for a dominating presence in the heart of a midfield continues as they have continued their negotiations with Monaco for the services of Tiemoue Bakayoko. Antonio Conte is adamant to add the player to the side for the upcoming season.
Among the top six clubs, only Manchester City have so far shown their intent in the transfer market as they have wrapped up the signings of Bernardo Silva and Ederson. Chelsea have been linked to a number of players but still haven’t been able to make a concrete offer for any of them. Bakayoko is valued at around £42m and the Blues are ready to pay that amount but a number of things are proving difficult for the move.
Chelsea are reportedly frustrated by a number of ‘parties’ included in this deal. There have been rumours that the Blues might back out from this deal as too much waiting would realistically end their chances to entice any other player to Stamford Bridge. But still, he is the number one preference for Conte although Chelsea reportedly had a chat with Lyon about the availability of Corentin Tolisso.
Monaco are demanding either Michy Batshuayi or Charly Musonda as a swap deal to add a twist in the deal. The French club is known to be a tough nut to crack when it comes to transfers and it seems Monaco are trying to delay the move.
Bakayoko’s performance for Monaco helped him to rise to prominence as the defensive midfielder has also attracted the interests of Manchester United. But as of now, the English Champions are looking favourites to land him and according to various sources, Chelsea have offered him a five-year deal.
If any player is to leave as a part of the deal it could be Musonda. The youngster was at La Liga with Real Betis on loan before injury curtailed his stint short and he returned to Chelsea in December. Chelsea could use him in an effort to sweeten the deal and Monaco shouldn’t have any problem.
Bakayoko’s arrival to Chelsea will ease the way for Nemanja Matic to depart as Mourinho has already expressed his interest to sign one of his former disciples. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea allow him to join a direct rival in upcoming days.
Bakayoko would give the necessary precision in the Chelsea midfield. Matic is not very good with his attacking skills and in this area, Bakayoko edges him a bit as the 22-year-old often romped ahead to help his teammates while attacking.
