Tiemoue Bakayoko arrives in Italy to undergo medical ahead of AC Milan transfer

The 23-year-old struggled to make an impact in his first season at Stamford Bridge after he was signed from Monaco for £40 million last summer.

New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has a wealth of options in central midfield and Bakayoko has faced increased competition for his place following the arrivals of Jorginho from Napoli and Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid, plus the return of Ruben Loftus-Cheek after his season-long loan at Crystal Palace.

And now Bakayoko is on the brink of joining AC Milan.

Widespread reports in Italy claim that Chelsea and AC Milan have agreed a season-long loan deal for the midfielder, while the Serie A club have the option to make the move permanent next summer for €40m (£35.7m).

On Sunday, Bakayoko arrived at Milan airport and is due to undergo a medical on Monday.

Bakayoko has also been linked with a move to Sevilla this summer as a potential replacement for Steven N’Zonzi.

The French midfielder made 43 appearances in his first season at Stamford Bridge.