Napoli are reportedly holding out until the final days of the transfer market, hoping to get Tiemoue Bakayoko from Chelsea in a cheap deal.
The midfielder already spent last season in Naples under his old Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso, but it’s Luciano Spalletti on the bench now at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Milan and Fiorentina had also shown interest in Bakayoko, but again, they only wanted him on loan, whereas Chelsea are eager to get a permanent sale.
He turns 27 later this month and his contract only runs to June 2022, so any loan would require he sign a contract extension with Chelsea first.
Since his €40m transfer from Monaco in 2017, Bakayoko has only gone out on loan to Milan, Monaco and Napoli.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli hope that Chelsea will become desperate to offload him in the final days of the transfer market, allowing him to leave either on loan or for a minimal fee.
The asking price at the end of his most recent loan was €20m, considered completely unrealistic for someone with just one year left on his contract.
#Calciomercato, il @sscnapoli pensa a #Hincapiè del #Tellers come rinforzo per la difesa. Per il centrocampo torna di moda il nome di #Bakayokohttps://t.co/92K4iM3zW3
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) August 4, 2021