Paris Saint-Germain’s search for a tall midfielder is leading to the capital club showing interest in a familiar name, Chelsea FC’s Tiémoué Bakayoko.
The French midfielder is currently on loan at AS Monaco, but after two loan stints over the past two seasons, it appears as though Bakayoko’s future isn’t in London.
As a result, PSG is monitoring the situation, even having sporting director Leonardo contact the 25-year-old and his entourage, per L’Equipe (via Le10Sport).
When asked about PSG, Bakayoko had this to say: “Paris is always special. I love playing against PSG. It’s my youth club, there will be my whole family.”
The midfielder then elaborated on the speculation of a potential move to PSG by adding, “Touches with PSG last summer? I have a very good relationship with Leo; he helped me a lot. There were discussions, but nothing very important.”
With Leonardo bringing Bakayoko to AC Milan last year on loan, the capital club’s sporting director does value the Frenchman. Also, with Milan, he was unable to stay permanently due to the Italian clubs financial situation. Meanwhile, PSG tried over the summer for a loan of Bakayoko but failed to pull off the transaction.
Despite not finding a home at Chelsea, Bakayoko still has value to the club, so if PSG desires to pay for a permanent move, they’ll have to pay a decent fee. According to Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old is worth €32 million, so not a bad price to finally have a tall defensive midfielder entering his prime years.
Finally, with Monaco this season, Bakayoko has started in all 17 of his appearances while averaging 89 minutes per game. Also, if there’s a transfer for the French midfielder this winter, it will likely mean for a summer move. As Monaco sits five points out of a UEFA Champions League qualifying position, they rely heavily on Bakayoko, so it’s unlikely they’d terminate the loan.
Nonetheless, with a connection to Leonardo, a move for Bakayoko could be in the works as Idrissa Gueye and Ander Hererra are both over 30. PSG will need younger legs in the midfield sooner rather than later.
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