Chelsea duo Ethan Ampadu and Tiemoue Bakayoko are both in talks to leave the club this summer as Empoli and Nottingham Forest circle, according to reports.
Thomas Tuchel is having a clear-out this summer following the arrival of the new ownership which has already seen many players depart. The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Malang Sarr and Timo Werner have all left the club and more are expected to follow.
Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marcos Alonso could all be heading for the exit door at Stamford Bridge, and Ampadu and Bakayoko could join them should they leave Chelsea.
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As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Ampadu is the subject of interest from Serie A side Empoli. The Wales international spent the 2021/22 season on loan in Italy with Venezia. Talks are ongoing between all of the parties over his salary and loan fee.
The 21-year-old is yet to make a decision over his future but will decide in the coming days.
His future under Thomas Tuchel this season was all but sealed when he wasn’t given a squad number when the shirt numbers were confirmed by the club prior to the beginning of the new season.
This comes after Ampadu impressed during pre-season on their tour of the United States, even impressing Tuchel, but it doesn’t look like he’s done enough to convince the Chelsea boss to keep him as part of his plans for 2022-23.
"Ethan did very well, I think,” the Chelsea head coach admitted after their win over Club America.
“The position is a good position for him in the middle of the back three.
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"He played a lot of vertical passes and did not play left to right only.
"He played through the lines with his passes and dribbles.
"So he was very active, and it was a good match for him. He is training well.”
Ampadu is not the only player to be receiving interest. Bakayoko, who is currently one year into his two-year loan spell at AC Milan, could have his move cut short this summer at the San Siro.
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Discussions have been ongoing for weeks over his future, and now it has been claimed by Gazzetta dello Sport that Premier League new-boys Nottingham Forest are interested.
He is an option for Steve Cooper’s Reds and talks are being held to try to find an agreement for the Frenchman’s wages.
With just under three weeks to go until the end of the summer transfer window, plenty of business is still needing to be finalised, so Chelsea are not expecting a quiet end to the month.
Topics: Tiemoue Bakayoko, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Transfers, Football, Premier League
Matthew Debono