AC Milan have been surpassed in the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko this summer, reports in France claim.
MilanNews reported on Wednesday 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 for next season.
The paper edition of il Corriere dello Sport (as cited by TMW) added that Milan are hard at work to secure a return for Bakayoko and have begun talks, but Chelsea for now though are not backing down from the €42million transfer fee they agreed with Monaco.
According to French outlet RMC Sport (via il Milanista), West Ham are also keen on signing the 25-year-old in the upcoming window to bolster their midfield ranks.
However there are two things that give them an advantage over Milan. Firstly, the Hammers intend to buy Bakayoko outright and not on a loan with option/obligation to buy.
In addition, Milan would have to ask the player to downsize his salary, while West Ham instead may be in a position to be able to meet his demands. Now Bakayoko will decide.
