Tiemoue Bakayoko open to permanent stay with AC Milan

French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has admitted that he is open to remaining with AC Milan beyond the conclusion of the ongoing campaign. The 24-year-old joined the Rossoneri on a season-long loan from Chelsea during the summer but his beginning was far from impressive with manager Gennaro Gattuso questioning his abilities with the ball.

However, the Frenchman has since made impressive progress at the heart of the midfield amid the club’s injury crisis at the centre of the park and he has already made 20 appearances during the first half of the season. Speaking to Milan News, the former Monaco man has acknowledged that he is pleased to have made progress with the Rossoneri after enduring a difficult start where his future with the club was questioned.

He added that he is pleased to commit his long-term future to the Rossoneri, although the final decision has to be taken by the San Siro giants, who have the option to buy him at the end of the season, he told: “I don’t think anything special has changed. I’ve carried on training and working hard, and when you do that things change. I’m happy because I’m playing well with the team. The future? I’m happy here but it’s not my decision, it’s Milan and Chelsea’s. We’ll talk at the end of the season to see what we can do.”

Meanwhile, Milan ended the calendar year on a high after securing a 2-1 comeback triumph over SPAL at the San Siro. The Rossoneri had recently gone through some unwanted history after going four winless matches without finding the scoresheet but they managed to put the disappointment to bed against SPAL, where Gonzalo Higuain scored the match-defining goal. With the outcome, the Rossoneri have been able to close the gap on the Champions League positions with just one point separating them fourth-placed Lazio.