Chelsea Beat Manchester United to £35m Tiemoue Bakayoko Deal

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko after agreeing a €40 million (£35m) deal with Monaco, according to reports in France. L’Equipe claim that Chelsea’s board have convinced the Ligue 1 champions with their offer and are hopeful that their first summer transfer can be officially announced next week.

The report also claims that Bakayoko is enthusiastic about the prospect of working under Antonio Conte and the midfielder is determined on joining the Premier League champions.

Monaco, meanwhile, have quickly found a replacement for Bakayoko in Soualiho Meite. The 23-year-old midfielder will be arriving from Belgian side Zulte Waregem for a fee in the region of €8m (£7m).

Chelsea have been in negotiations with Monaco over the last month but they have faced competition from Manchester United as Jose Mourinho is also keen to strengthen his options in central midfield.

But with Bakayoko now set to join Chelsea, United will be expected to push on in their move for his Monaco team-mate Fabinho.

Bakayoko has been one of Monaco’s key players this season as Leonardo Jardim’s side beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

The 22-year-old’s arrival at Stamford Bridge will also fuel speculation surrounding Nemanja Matic’s future under Conte.

Credit: Metro

Comments

Juventus Manager Allegri Signs Contract Extension Untill 2020

Massimiliano Allegri has signed a new contract with Juventus, keeping him with the Serie A side until 2020, the Turin outfit have confirmed. The 49-year-old will remain at Juventus Stadium for another three seasons, having guided the Old Lady to a third successive domestic double. Allegri helped Juve win the Serie A and Copa Italia titles this season, and guided them to the Champions League final. Since taking over at Juventus Stadium in 2014, he has won the domestic double each season and has a 69 per cent winning rate. The former midfielder had been linked with a move to Arsenal before Arsene Wenger agreed a new two-year deal, but will now remain in Turin until the end of the 2019-20 season. In a statement, Juventus said: "Juventus is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Allegri has signed a contract renewal at the club until 2020. "Today's agreement extends a working relationship that has seen the Bianconeri consolidate their position as Italy's...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Could Make Man United Return this Year, Says Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is confident Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be available for Manchester United before the end of the year. The Swedish striker - who has been regularly updating his Instagram followers of his rehabilitation from a knee injury - has this week begun doing some very light ball work with the club's coaching staff at Carrington. Ibrahimovic signed a new one-year deal at United on August 24 after the first serious injury of his career cut short a stellar first season at Old Trafford earlier this year. The player's doctor Freddie Fu has warned against rushing his return and United boss Jose Mourinho had previously suggested he will not play for the club in January but has reassessed that prediction. "(Paul) Pogba is not here I don't know when he will be back," he said. "Zlatan is working under our control here as I would expect. He is working so, so hard but he won't be back in the next week or the next couple of weeks. "He nee...

Barcelona Summer Signing Ousmane Dembele Suffers Fresh Injury Blow

Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele is set to be on the sidelines for around "three to four weeks" after suffering a fresh hamstring injury during the Catalan's 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday. The 20-year-old winger moved to the Nou Camp from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window in deal worth £93.4m plus €40m in add-ons. The Frenchman spent more than three months on the sidelines as a result before returning to action during Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo in La Liga on 4 January.Earlier on September Dembele was indeed forced to undergo a surgery after rupturing the "tendon in his femoral bicep in his left thigh" during a clash with Getafe when he was only making his third appearance for the club. Dembele has since made three more appearances, playing 25 minutes during the win over Real Sociedad after replacing Paulinho in the second half. But the Frenchman will miss the upcoming games after Barcelona revealed that th...

Plauseorminus

Search This Blog