Newcastle United well positioned to sign Chelsea midfielder

Newcastle United are reportedly regarded as the favourites to land the signature of Tiemoue Bakayoko from Chelsea during this summer's transfer window.

Bakayoko joined the Blues from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017 with much fanfare, but he was unable to make a mark during his debut season with the club.

As a result, he has since been loaned out to the likes of AC Milan and Monaco and he recently made 23 appearances for the latter before the Ligue 1 season was curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Le 10 Sport, the Frenchman is set to leave the Blues on a permanent basis this summer with manager Frank Lampard unlikely to integrate him into his first-team plans.

The same publication adds that the Magpies have made the first approach for the France international and are well placed to sign him in the next transfer window.

The Magpies are currently on the verge of a takeover from a Saudi-based consortium and they could spend freely this summer, particularly with UEFA easing the Financial Fair Play rules due to the COVID-19 crisis.