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Former Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has revealed the reason for his permanent exit from the English side at the end of the 2022-23 season. The former France international spent six years registered with the Blues before deciding to leave as a free agent last summer.
Chelsea spent around £40 million on the midfielder (to sign him from AS Monaco), who showed a great deal of promise in his debut against Tottenham Hotspur after spending time on the sidelines. He started his career at Stamford Bridge impressively before spectacularly falling off the radar with a number of poor performances.
After Antonio Conte left the club, Maurizio Sarri took over at Stamford Bridge, and Bakayoko did not fit into his style. Speaking with L'Equipe, the 29-year-old revealed that the Italian manager did not bother speaking with him.
“I was very reluctant to leave Monaco. I thought I’d say in France and join the best, PSG. But I always wanted to gain experience abroad, so when Chelsea, my favourite club after PSG, came calling, it was hard to turn them down. Antonio Conte really wanted me, and followed me when he was at Juventus. We finished fifth in the league and won the Cup. I take a lot of positives from my season."
He continued:
“Then Maurizio Sarri arrived with Jorginho, and he didn’t speak to me. I knew I had to leave. How can I describe my experience at Chelsea? Sometimes I sit on my sofa, think about my career and say to myself: ‘What was the problem?’”
Tiemoue Bakayoko did not appear for Chelsea again after Conte left, playing only 43 times in six years at the club. He was released from his contract last year, and moved back to France to play with FC Lorient.
Chelsea set to move for Bundesliga superstar - Report
Chelsea are reportedly keen to sign Harry Kane from Bayern Munich this summer. The Blues' previous primary target was Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, but the striker is also on the radar of Paris-Saint Germain, as per reports. This complicated matters for the English side, who are now looking at Kane as an alternative.
Kane has enjoyed a good goalscoring season in Germany, scoring 29 times across all competitions so far, but his side are struggling as a team. The Blues are keen to take advantage of the situation and tempt him with a return to England, as per Football Insider.
