Transfer Rumors: French Midfielder Open To Extending Napoli Loan Spell But Future Not Promising

If given the chance, Tiemoue Bakayoko would want to stay with Napoli beyond the current season, his agent says. He is currently on loan from Chelsea FC, and there is no telling what the future holds. Before landing in Gli Azzurri, the 26-year-old midfielder also had loan spells with AC Milan and Monaco.

Bakayoko joined the Blues in 2017 from Monaco. However, he hardly made his mark, and such was the reason behind the loan spells. But it appears that he is pretty comfortable playing with Napoli, particularly because of his familiarity with Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso. However, that is no assurance that the midfielder is guaranteed to stay at Stadio San Paolo.

According to his brother and agent, Abdoulaye Bakayoko, the 26-year-old’s future is not tied to his working relationship with Gattuso. Hence, anything can happen after the season. But Abdoulaye also confirmed when he spoke to Radio Marte that no talks have been made so far.

"There are no talks planned with the club to discuss it,” Abdoulaye stated. “Whether he remains at Napoli or not, that will not depend on Gattuso.”

Part of the reason behind that is because I Partenopei have not exactly had a good season. They are in fifth place, two points behind Atalanta and Juventus. While Napoli still has a chance of cracking the top four, there are other things to consider.

Gattuso's relationship with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is allegedly strained, hinting that there is a chance that the 43-year-old may leave the club at some point. Should that happen, all hopes of possibly seeing Bakayoko stay in Napoli will diminish dramatically. The French player has 18 months remaining in the five-year deal he signed with Chelsea in 2017.

As for returning to the Blues after his loan spell, some glimmer of hope looms. The fact that Chelsea is now under Thomas Tuchel could change his fortunes.

But all that may depend on how he performs the rest of the way and if the 47-year-old finds use for his services. If not, the Blues may end up finding ways to arrange for his permanent departure from Stamford Bridge since he will be entering the final year of his contract. So far, there is no clarity on which team will take him in.