Chelsea are set to be one of the busiest clubs this transfer window with no one taking their league win for granted after the disastrous title defence that followed after the 2014-15 title win resulting in the sacking of Jose Mourinho.
With Conte known for walking away from clubs not giving in to his demands; it is no wonder that the English Champions are at the forefront of transfer rumours, having already unveiled goalkeeper Willy Caballero on a free from Manchester City.
After the season Bakayoko had with FC Monaco it is no surprise he is one of the most sought after defensive midfielders in the game today. Bakayoko joined the Academy of Rennes as a 13-year-old. Although rated highly from a very young age there were fears of him going the Balotelli-way because of his attitude.
It was only under the able stewardship of Philippe Montanier, a man known for nurturing young talent, that the young prodigy started showing flashes of brilliance that impressed Monaco enough to offer €8m in 2014. Unfortunately, he embarked on a horrible start to his career at the Stade Louis Arena and shared a rather frosty relationship with Leonardo Jardim.
It was only after Claude Makelele, the man credited with creating the eponymous role that was named after him, joined the Monaco staff that Bakayoko showed signs of improvement good enough to warrant a starting position in Monaco’s title winning season. The 22-year-old is a beast in midfield with a surprisingly keen eye and understanding of the game who can distribute the ball well and is known for his dribbling ability. Couple that with his superlative interceptions and it is easy to see why Conte is so keen on pairing the midfield dynamo with N’Golo Kante.
He is subject to a £35m bid by Chelsea with reports doing the rounds that he is due a medical at the Cobham within 48 hours.
It is believed that Chelsea are looking to offload Nemanja Matic, the 28-year old Serb to Manchester United with old boss Jose Mourinho interested in replacing the 35-year-old Carrick. United are believed to have made an offer of £40m for the two-time Premier League winner.
The Serb, packed off to Benfica in a swap deal with David Luiz was Mourinho’s first signing on his arrival in the summer of 2014. A trusted general of Mourinho and Premier League winner under his stewardship in 2015, he faced the brunt of Mourinho when he was brought on at half-time only to be substituted 28 minutes later against Southampton.
All seems to be well as Mourinho is interested in the player once again.
The transfers make sense for both the clubs as Conte wouldn’t mind a brick wall in front of his defence in Kante and Bakayoko, whereas Mourinho could do with more solidity in his midfield with the addition of Matic who is better than Fellaini for example in distributing passes.
On the back of a solid season, it is easy to forget how inconsistent Bakayoko can be and could have been a dangerous proposition under a lot of managers. But Conte’s superior man-management skills can allow Chelsea fans to breathe easy in the knowledge that the 22-year-old French national won’t be allowed to take his foot off the gas.
