After a disappointing season at Chelsea last year, Tiemoue Bakayoko was shipped out on a season-long loan to AC Milan with an option to buy this past summer.
The 24-year-old started poorly, as he was roundly criticised by the Italian media after his initial outings for the Rossoneri as it was quickly feared that it could be a continuation of his troubles at Stamford Bridge.
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To his credit though, Bakayoko has gradually begun to turn things around as while injuries have forced coach Gennaro Gattuso to show more faith in him, the former Monaco ace has continued to improve and has emerged as an important figure for the Italian giants.
With 13 appearances to his name now, which includes four consecutive starts in Serie A, it appears as though the Frenchman is slowly warming to the task and a permanent move can’t be ruled out.
However, according to Calciomercato, it’s suggested that the only way Milan will push ahead with making his move permanent, is if they are given a discount on the previously agreed €35m fee to sign Bakayoko outright.
As noted by BBC Sport, he cost Chelsea £40m to sign him from Monaco last year, and so if they are to agree to Milan’s new offer, it would result in a loss for the Blues if they accept such a discount.
Nevertheless, given it’s difficult to see him fitting into Maurizio Sarri’s team with his preferred style of play in mind which requires technically gifted midfielders to play a possession-based game, perhaps they could be tempted into agreeing to a lowering of the transfer fee to offload Bakayoko and reinvest in a player that suits Sarri’s needs better.
