Juventus eyeing summer raid on Chelsea for 26-year-old midfield star – report

Transfer News: Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko wanted by Juventus

According to transfer news from La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t football.london), Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has emerged as a target for Serie A giants Juventus.

After four years on the club’s books, Bakayoko’s time could finally be drawing to a close. Signed from AS Monaco in 2017 after their shock title win in France, the midfielder struggled from the off at Chelsea. And after a troubled debut season, he has been constantly farmed out on loan.

Bakayoko spent the 2018/19 campaign with AC Milan which was followed by a stint with former club AS Monaco in 2019/20. Last season, the Frenchman returned to Italy to play for Napoli and managed to make a solid impression at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Now back at Chelsea, Bakayoko is staring at the exit doors, as his contract runs out in less than a year. For the club to recoup at least some of the £40m paid for him, Chelsea will need to cash in on the Frenchman this year or risk losing him for nothing in 2022.

And, they might have found the right suitor for the former AS Monaco man, with the report claiming that Juventus are interested in securing his services as a potential alternative to primary transfer target, Manuel Locatelli.

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As iterated earlier, it makes sense for Chelsea to not keep Bakayoko on the books any longer. At the same time, given his age, the club should be able to command a decent enough transfer fee and not ship him off to the first bidder.

It remains to be seen where the ex-Monaco ace ends up come next season. As things stand, he certainly won’t be at Chelsea any longer.