Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko looks set to finally leave the club after five woeful years at Stamford Bridge.
The Frenchman was signed by the Blues from Monaco back in 2017 for a fee of £40 million.
A lot was expected of Bakayoko and he made a promising start to life in west London. In his first season, he made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring three times and also lifted the FA Cup.
But then things started to go horribly wrong, he failed to nail down a place in the starting eleven and he has not played for Chelsea since the 17/18 campaign and was sent out on loan to different clubs around the continent.
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The midfielder was loaned to AC Milan, Monaco, Napoli and then back to AC Milan, where he won the Serie A last season.
After spending the last few seasons out on loan, a permanent move away from Stamford Bridge is on the horizon for the 27-year-old.
According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, Bakayoko is most likely to join Ligue 1 side Marseille after the club agreed personal terms with the midfielder.
However, the report also stated that Marseille manager Igor Tudor has not given the green light for the deal to go ahead just yet. He still needs some convincing from club officials in order to get on board with the signing.
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Apart from Marseille, Bakayoko has also attracted the attention of La Liga side Valencia, who are keeping tabs on the situation and could look to hijack the deal before Marseille get it over the line.
But one thing seems certain, after five years, one of Chelsea’s most expensive flops is destined to leave the club at last.
A number of players have already left Stamford Bridge this summer. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers after their contracts expired at the end of the 21/22 season. Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on loan just one year after his £97.5 million move to the club.
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In terms of arrivals, Chelsea have so far brought in two big signings. Raheem Sterling joined from Manchester City earlier this week, closely followed by central defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
More incomings are expected with the club reportedly in discussions with French champions Paris Saint Germain over France international defender Presnel Kimpembe.
Meanwhile, the team kicked off their pre season tour of the US with a win after a late goal from Mason Mount secured a 2-1 win over Club America.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
