Here are your Chelsea evening headlines for Monday, August 10th.
Bakayoko set for AC Milan return
After an underwhelming season at AS Monaco, Tiemoue Bakayoko could be set for a return to AC Milan where he spent a more productive loan spell the previous season after his place in the Chelsea squad diminished.
Per Gazetta dello Sport via Sport Witness , Bakayoko, who has now returned to the Blues but with his future expected to be away from Stamford Bridge, has agreed to personal terms with Milan and would welcome a return to the San Siro, where he pleased fans with his combative performances under Gennaro Gattuso.
The report claims that Milan are now pressing forward with an approach for the 25-year-old as they look to sign him on a permanent deal this summer. Bakayoko is said to be willing to halve his Chelsea wage to secure the move, while Chelsea will hold out for as much as €20 million.
It is expected that an agreement may be closer to €15 million, which is the minimum that Chelsea would accept, as Milan look to leverage Bakoko’s desire to leave in their favour.
The £72.9 million windfall to aid Kai Havertz approach
After signing Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech already this year, Chelsea made their intentions clear by making an approach for Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz. The 21-year-old is coming off two brilliant Bundesliga seasons in which he totalled 29 goals and nine assists, the majority of which came from midfield.
One issue to overcome was always going to be price, however. Leverkusen were holding out for £90 million, a figure that Chelsea would find difficult to meet, especially after already spending that amount on Werner and Ziyech.
Nevertheless, their results in the Champions League could aid their attempts to find the necessary cash to get a deal done.
According to Swiss Ramble , Chelsea will pocket £72.9 million for their participation in this season’s Champions League. This stems from the participation fee, prize money, UEFA coefficient money and the TV pool and is substantially more than their Europa League earnings last season.
As the Blues look to balance the books and still invest in the squad, could this windfall go towards a Havertz move?
Abraham ready to fight for role
With Werner and Ziyech now having arrived at the club, Olivier Giroud extending his stay, and Christian Pulisic finding his best form, opportunities look slim for current centre-forward Tammy Abraham.
The Englishman had already lost his starting role to Giroud before the end of the season, and now he faces more competition for his place in the team, competition that will only intensify should a Havertz deal be completed.
But Abraham says that this should be expected at Chelsea, stating that his ready to fight for his place.
“This is Chelsea Football Club, there's always going to be high standards and high competition and this is something I've been dreaming of since I was a kid,” he said via the Express .
“I've always been fighting for it, it's never come easy, it wasn't easy at the start of the season but I worked my way into the team and that's what I've got to keep doing.”
