TIEMOUE BAKAYOKO could finally seal a permanent exit from Chelsea this summer.
The French midfielder is on his third loan spell away from Stamford Bridge after failing to justify the £40million fee Chelsea paid for his services in 2017.
He is impressing for Napoli after establishing himself as a regular in Gennaro Gattuso’s starting XI.
Bakayoko hit a last-gasp goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Udinese to fire his loan club to sixth in the Serie A table.
And the 26-year-old’s brother and agent, Abdoulaye, has revealed a permanent switch to Napoli is the ‘priority’.
He said: “It’s too early to talk about that, there are many things that must be considered.
“He is on loan until the end of the season and he hasn’t talked to the club yet, but staying at Napoli would be a nice opportunity, we’ll see.
“He has played for many clubs, but he is happy at Napoli, the results are there and this club would be an ideal option for the future.
“Napoli are Scudetto contenders, a positive ending is in everyone’s interest. Napoli will be his priority in June.”
Bakayoko became Chelsea‘s second most expensive signing at the time when he joined from Monaco in July 2017.
He was one of the many Monaco players to earn a high-profile transfer after helping the Principality club to the Ligue 1 title and Champions League semi-finals in 2016/17.
Although a regular in Antonio Conte’s team for the entire campaign, Bakayoko struggled to get to grips with the Premier League as Chelsea could only finish fifth.
He signed off a tough year on a positive note, however, by playing the full 90 minutes as the Blues beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Bakayoko was sent out on loan to AC Milan for the following campaign as Conte’s replacement Maurizio Sarri strengthened Chelsea’s midfield with the signings of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.
But the Serie A giants opted not to trigger a permanent option after mixed performances.
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Bakayoko returned to former club Monaco on loan for the 2019/20 season but any chance of a permanent deal was damaged by Ligue 1 being cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Parisian looks to be getting back to his best after finding a place in Gattuso’s team at Napoli, making 18 appearances in all competitions.
Bakayoko has 18 months left to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge so this summer represents the final opportunity to cash in unless his deal is extended.
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