CorSport: Chelsea firm on €42m demands as Milan begin talks over signing Lampard cast-off

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan have begun talks over the possibility of a return for midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko this summer, according to a report.

The midfield seems to be the department in which the Rossoneri will undergo the most overhaul this summer, and Bakayoko is a name who has been repeatedly linked over the past few weeks, even as far back as January.

The Frenchman joined Milan on loan for the 2018-19 season and impressed under Gennaro Gattuso, but the €35m option to buy was not exercised and he instead joined Monaco on a season-long loan with a €42m option.

MilanNews reported earlier today that Monaco will not exercise their right to buy the 25-year-old, and that Milan dream of creating a Bennacer-Bakayoko pairing in midfield, as part of Rangnick’s new-look 4-4-2 system.

According to the paper edition of il Corriere dello Sport on Wednesday (as cited by TMW), Milan are hard at work to secure a return for Bakayoko and have begun talks.

Chelsea for now though are not backing down from the €42million transfer fee they agreed with Monaco, but the player’s will is clear and he wishes to move back to Italy.

To date, the main struggle is due to Bakayoko’s current wage, adding up to a more than €6million-a-year. However, Frank Lampard isn’t keen on making him part of his plans for next season, which offers a further boost to Milan’s hopes.

Tags AC Milan Tiemoue Bakayoko
Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.