CM: Maldini informed of budget available to sign Chelsea outcast as talks continue – the latest

By Oliver Fisher -

Tiemoue Bakayoko has made a return to AC Milan his absolute priority and the management are working on a deal, a report claims.

We seem to post around 12 reports per day on the future of Bakayoko and whether he may or may not be returning to Milan two years after he first joined on loan, but Calciomercato.com have provided yet another update.

They claim that there is already a draft agreement on the salary that the Frenchman would receive at Milan: a fixed amount of €2.8million net with the possibility of inserting bonuses to go over €3m, which is the amount he currently earns at Chelsea. It would be a four-year deal, but these are details that will be addressed later.

Chelsea do not want to loan Bakayoko out given his contract expires in 2022, so there are two ways for Milan to try and find an agreement.

The first is a paid loan of €5m plus a €25m obligation to buy, the second is a permanent deal this summer but with a substantial discount on the €25m quoted.

Massara and Maldini have been told by the owners that the budget available to sign the 26-year-old is €22-23million, and there is optimism from the director that they can present the player to Pioli within a few days due to his desire to return.

Bakayoko will leave Chelsea because he is not part of Lampard’s plans, and while Milan remain on pole attention must be paid to Lyon. Several English clubs such as Fulham and Crystal Palace are keen but remain in the background for now, but Bakayoko only has one destination in his mind.

Tags AC Milan Tiemoue Bakayoko
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