Reports: Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko
According to Get French Football News, Paris Saint-Germain are in talks with Chelsea over a potential deal for midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko. Chelsea are reportedly demanding a €5 million loan fee for the 26-year-old plus a €40 million option to buy at the end of the season.
Tiemoue Bakayoko joined Chelsea from AS Monaco in 2017 for £40 million after a string of impressive performances in the Champions League and the Ligue 1 in the 2016-17 season, where he led Monaco to the league title and the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Much was expected of Tiemoue Bakayoko at Chelsea. The Blues hoped the 27-year-old Frenchman would form a formidable partnership with fellow Frenchman N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park. Tiemoue Bakayoko's strength, mobility and ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder made him an exciting prospect for Chelsea.
Paris Saint-Germain looking to negotiate a season-long-loan deal with Chelsea for Tiemoue Bakayoko
However, Tiemoue Bakayoko failed to live up to the hype in his first season at Chelsea, making 29 appearances for the club before being loaned out in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons to AC Milan and AS Monaco respectively.
Tiemoue Bakayoko had a slow start to life in Milan but his performances improved dramatically towards the end of 2018 and in early 2019. AC Milan, however, did not exercise their option to buy him. Bakayoko spent the next season on loan at Monaco, where he made 20 league appearances during his second stint at the club.
Tiemoue Bakayoko has also attracted interest from AC Milan, who were rumoured to be interested in signing him on loan this summer. However, AC Milan were put off by the €5 million loan fee set by Chelsea. AC Milan are reportedly still trying to negotiate a deal for the midfielder but will face stiff competition from Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain have made a habit of signing midfielders from Premier League clubs, signing Idrissa Gueye from Everton and Ander Herrera from Manchester United. PSG are looking to strengthen their midfield even further this summer to assist their push for the elusive Champions League crown.
Paris Saint-Germain have had a slow start to their season, losing their first two Ligue 1 fixtures. The club has been forced to play a second-string squad due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel has shown an interest in bringing Bakayoko back to France but is looking to negotiate a cheaper deal with Chelsea, who are looking to sell Bakayoko permanently after spending in excess of £200 million this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, are trying to negotiate a lower loan fee for Bakayoko. Chelsea have set the price at €5 million, but PSG are only willing to offer €3million.
Bayokoko clearly has no future at Chelsea, but it will be interesting to see if he ends up at Paris Saint-Germain or AC Milan. A permanent deal away from Chelsea seems unlikely given Bakayoko's recent form and the financial crisis faced by most teams in Europe.