Gennaro Gattuso Says Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko 'Must Remain' at AC Milan

AC Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso has spoken of his desire to keep on-loan midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko at the San Siro.

After a tough start to life in Italy, the Chelsea man has impressed during his season-long loan, and Gattuso has outlined just how keen he is for the 24-year-old to stay, per FourFourTwo.

"At this moment we cannot do without him, he must remain at Milan," he told reporters ahead of his side's trip to Roma on Sunday. "He is proving technical skills. You know that I am not in charge of the finances, but he is certainly giving us fundamental improvements. He can become an important player for this club for many years."

Bakayoko moved to AC Milan on loan after a poor first season at Chelsea following his move from Monaco in 2017. Yet he endured similar struggles in Serie A initially and was criticised by Gattuso after making his debut:

Yet the midfielder has gradually managed to find his form for the Rossoneri and has begun to show what he can do. He put in a particularly impressive performance in Milan's Coppa Italia win over Napoli:

Bakayoko told Corriere dello Sport recently that it's his "dream" to stay at Milan:

Yet Milan need to be careful when it comes to transfers. The club were told in December by UEFA they must break even by June 2021 or face being banned from European competition for violating Financial Fair Play regulations, per BBC Sport.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday (h/t Calciomercato.com), signing Bakayoko will "not be judged negatively" by UEFA, as the player has resale value and will likely be given a long contract with a manageable salary.

Chelsea strengthened their midfield in summer 2018 by bringing in Jorginho from Napoli on a permanent deal and signing Mateo Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid.

EiF Soccer do not expect the Blues to want Bakayoko back:

Bakayoko appears to be rediscovering the form that persuaded Chelsea to bring him to the Premier League. He's made it clear where he sees his future and has shown he could have a big impact in Milan if they are willing to invest in a permanent deal.