Chelsea midfielder on his way back to AS Monaco?

French side AS Monaco have emerged as favourites to re-acquire the services of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko from Chelsea this summer.

Bakayoko joined the Blues from the Principality club amidst much fanfare in the summer of 2017 but he has since struggled to settle with the side and spent the previous campaign on loan at AC Milan.

According to The Sun, Blues boss Frank Lampard has opened the door for Bakayoko's departure after ignoring him for the final two pre-season games as well as the Premier League opener at Manchester United.

The same report claims that Monaco are leading the hunt to re-sign Bakayoko but it is unclear whether they are keen on a permanent or temporary deal for the midfielder, who has been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Bakayoko played an instrumental role in Monaco's 2016/17 league title success but he has struggled to produce the same level of performance after taking up a bigger challenge at Chelsea.