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Claims that La Liga club Valencia are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko are wide of the mark, according to Relevo journalist Matteo Moretto.
Bakayoko joined Serie A giants AC Milan on a two-year loan deal from Chelsea last summer. However, he clocked just 607 minutes of first-team action for the Rossoneri during the 2021-22 season.
AC Milan are now considering cutting the midfielder's loan short, according to Foot Mercato. With the player also not in Thomas Tuchel's plans for the campaign, his future is up in the air once again.
There were suggestions that Valencia could provide Bakayoko with an escape route. Los Che boss Gennaro Gattuso was said to be keen to take the Frenchman to Spain, having previously worked with him in Serie A.
However, Moretto has now rubbished claims that the 27-year-old is a player of interest to Valencia. The Relevo journalist insisted that the forgotten Chelsea man is not even in the La Liga club's plans this summer. He wrote on Twitter:
"Tiemoue Bakayoko is not in Valencia's plans. This is what they tell me now."
While Valencia's interest in Bakayoko has now been dismissed, a move to Los Che would have made sense for the player. The Frenchman would have relished the opportunity to work with Gattuso again.
Gattuso was in charge of AC Milan when the Rossoneri signed Bakayoko on loan in 2018. The midfielder and the Italian collaborated again when Napoli acquired him on a temporary deal in 2020.
While Bakayoko's career has been in freefall since joining Chelsea in 2017, he has enjoyed his time at Gattuso. He made 85 appearances under the 44-year-old's management during their time at AC Milan and Napoli.
Chelsea signed Bakayoko for £40 million in 2017
Bakayoko played a key role in AS Monaco's Ligue 1 triumph in the 2016-17 season. His performances for the French outfit earned him a £40 million move to Premier League giants Chelsea the following summer.
However, the move has not gone according to plan for the 27-year-old. While he has been on the Blues' books for five years now, he has made just 43 appearances for the club.
Bakayoko's failure to impress at Stamford Bridge saw him being loaned out to AC Milan, Monaco and Napoli. He has struggled to regain his form despite playing for three different clubs since 2019.
Olympique Marseille, though, are prepared to sign the Frenchman this summer. They have even agreed personal terms with the player, but the deal is being stalled by their manager Igor Tudor.
