Bakayoko bid starts Chelsea revolution
Conte move for Monaco talent to spark champions’ £200m summer squad overhaul
Clear-out in preparation for Champions League
Chelsea will step up their efforts to sign Monaco’s Tiemoué Bakayoko next week, with the midfielder expected to cost more than €50million (£42.7million).
The Daily Telegraph understands that Chelsea will open negotiations for the 22-year-old as part of a significant recruitment drive, with funds of at least £200million being made available to strengthen the Premier League title-winning squad and prepare them to challenge for the Champions League next season.
Bakayoko has emerged as a key target to improve the midfield options available to manager Antonio Conte, whom Chelsea want to tie down to a new contract to ward off Inter Milan’s continued interest, and could even be the first signing if talks go smoothly now that Monaco have wrapped up their first French league title for 17 years. Monaco are braced for a number of offers for their players after an outstanding season in which they also reached the Champions League semi-finals.
In fact, according to Chelsea sources, the club are also believed to be interested in Bakayoko’s team-mate and fellow French international midfielder, Thomas Lemar, but they do not expect Monaco to be prepared to sell both players this summer, and are likely to concentrate their efforts on Bakayoko.
As part of a proposed deal, Chelsea may even be willing to sell or loan striker Michy Batshuayi, who faces an uncertain future despite scoring the goal that clinched the title, away to West Bromwich Albion last Friday.
It was, however, only Batshuayi’s second league goal for Chelsea since joining for £33million from Marseille last summer, and the 23-year-old has yet to start a league game for the club. Chelsea have not made a firm decision on what they plan to do with Batshuayi, but the Belgium international is admired by Monaco, and is also close to their highly rated full-back Benjamin Mendy.
Chelsea are not the only big European club interested in Bakayoko – a powerful defensive midfielder who has blossomed at Monaco since he was signed from Rennes in 2014 – but they hope to steal a march on their rivals and have been working on a deal for some time. Lemar – a wide midfielder or winger – is also admired by Chelsea, who are looking to add to their options in those areas.
They already have £60 million in the bank from the sale of Oscar in January to Chinese club Shanghai SIPG, and if a deal goes through for Diego Costa, also to China, for an expected £76million, they will bolster further their substantial transfer funds. That kitty could be improved further if Asmir Begovic and Nathan Ake are sold to Bournemouth, with a combined fee of £30 million being mooted.
Chelsea will also field interest from Valencia in their central defender Kurt Zouma. The club are willing to loan out the French international, who has returned to fitness after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. Inter Milan are also interested in the 22-year-old.
Among Chelsea’s targets are striker Romelu Lukaku, whom Everton value at £100 million, which is nevertheless more than Chelsea will pay, and Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk. They are favourites to secure him ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool.
A bid for Ross Barkley, who has one more year left on his contract at Everton and has been told he will be sold unless he signs a new deal, is also not out of the question, but Chelsea will not pay the £50 million wanted.
Alexis Sánchez is another target, but Chelsea face competition, not least from Bayern Munich and Paris St-germain, and if the Chilean were to leave Arsenal then the club would also prefer him to quit England.
Also leaving Chelsea, of course, is captain John Terry, who is out of contract, with Swansea City head coach Paul Clement confirming yesterday that he is hoping to tempt the central defender. The pair worked together previously at Chelsea and Clement said: “I will talk to him. I’ve known him a long time.”
The 36-year-old is also wanted by West Brom, with manager Tony Pulis expected to step up his bid when he meets the club’s Chinese owners next week. Terry is wanted by Bournemouth too, but may have cooled on the south-coast club.
Terry says he is not expecting any favours from Conte or his Chelsea team-mates ahead of his Stamford Bridge swansong, as the Italian targets a Premier League record of 30 wins and César Azpilicueta attempts to equal Terry’s milestone of playing every minute of a Premier League campaign.
Sunday’s final league game against Sunderland will be Terry’s last in a Chelsea shirt at Stamford Bridge. Conte has not offered Terry any guarantees he will start and has made it clear he is preparing for the FA Cup final against Arsenal.
Terry was one of nine changes for the Watford game on Monday, but most of the regular starters are expected to be restored on Sunday, after which Chelsea will receive the Premier League trophy.
Conte gave his players most of this week off after the Watford victory, with the squad returning to training today, when decisions over team selection will be made.
Conte has not offered Terry any guarantees that he will start on his Chelsea swansong