Tiemoue Bakayoko set for £40m Chelsea move

By Grace Bello Toyin

The Monaco midfielder has agreed terms with the Premier League champions after delays over his fitness and intermediaries

Tiemoue Bakayoko’s protracted transfer saga with Chelsea appears close to an end after all three parties come to a final agreement on Wednesday ahead of a £40 million exit from Monaco.

The Blues had long since arranged an agreement with the Ligue 1 champions, as well as a wage for Bakayoko, but had struggled to organise a medical due to concerns over the midfielder’s fitness.

The club have been cautious to avoid signing a player with any long-term injury concerns, but they are satisfied that he can complete a medical even after having had minor surgery on his knee.

Bakayoko will need ongoing treatment after his move but Chelsea’s medical staff believe that he will make a full recovery from the injury.

Chelsea also faced difficulty dealing with a large group of intermediaries who slowed down a deal. The brother of Bakayoko, who was one of the parties involved in the negotiations, publicly celebrated the deal with a post saying “CFC” on Wednesday night.

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Manchester United were reported to have tabled a bid to hijack the transfer for Bakayoko – similar to how they signed Romelu Lukaku from under Chelsea’s nose – but National Daily understands there’s no truth in that.

However, Chelsea had agreed a £40m deal with Manchester United for Nemanja Matic to leave as Bakayoko came in but that deal is in doubt after being gazumped for Lukaku earlier this month.

The deal for Bakayoko will take Chelsea’s summer spend to £75m once it is formalised, as they already completed a deal to sign Antonio Rudiger from Roma for £35m.