Arsenal
Star Held Talks With Arsenal Boss Before Opting For £35m Chelsea Move
Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko held talks with Arsene Wenger about a transfer to Arsenal before opting to make a £35m switch to Chelsea this summer
Managers are now making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal fail in their attempts to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko….
Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko held talks with Arsene Wenger about a transfer to Arsenal before opting to make a £35m switch to Chelsea this summer, according to a report in the Metro.
Bakayoko has developed in to one of the hottest properties in Europe since joining Monaco from Rennes in 2014 with the midfielder playing a key role in helping Leonardo Jardin’s side challenge for the Ligue 1 title and book their place in the quarter finals of the Champions League this season.
The 22-year-old’s superb performances have attracted interest from the Premier League with the Mirror reporting last week that Chelsea and Manchester United were battling it out over his signature this summer.
It looks like we can now add Arsenal’s name to the list of admirers as the Metro are citing a report from France Football that claims Bakayoko held talks with the Gunners about a possible move to the Emirates.
The French outlet states that the powerful midfielder met with Arsene Wenger in a Paris hotel back in November to discuss a potential switch to Arsenal at the end of the season.
Wenger is expected to rebuild his squad this summer following a disappointing campaign and central midfield is an area of concern with Santi Cazorla sidelined by a chronic Achilles injury, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tipped to leave this summer and new signing Granit Xhaka yet to fulfill his potential.
Bakayoko would have been a superb addition for Arsenal, however, France Football claim that Wenger was unable to persuade the Monaco enforcer to join him at the Emirates as the midfielder has instead opted for a move to London rivals Chelsea.
The Metro report that the Premier League champions-elect have agreed a £35m deal with Monaco to sign Bakayoko this summer with the midfielder set to sign a lucrative five-year contract.
READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news
Antonio Conte is gearing up for a busy summer as he looks to strengthen his squad ahead of their return to the Champions League and Bakayoko is now expected to partner N’Golo Kante in the middle of the park next season.
