Official | Tiémoué Bakayoko signs for Lorient | OneFootball

FC Lorient have officially announced the signing of Tiémoué Bakayoko (29) on a two-year deal. The 29-year-old midfielder was a free agent after leaving Chelsea last June.

The one-time France international is returning to Ligue 1 six years after his title-winning campaign with AS Monaco. In 2017, Les Monégasques reached a €45m agreement with Chelsea for the signing of Bakayoko. The midfielder never really justified his hefty transfer fee and played only one full season with the Blues.

Bakayoko was successively loaned out to AC Milan, AS Monaco, Napoli, and then back to AC Milan where the France international even won the 2021-22 Serie A – although he played a peripheral role in the Rossoneri’s title-winning campaign. Last season, Bakayoko only played 39 minutes for Stefano Pioli’s side, coming off the bench in three Serie A games. Lorient were in the market to bolster their midfield.

They found an agreement with Manchester United for the loan move of Donny van de Beek, but the Dutch international rejected the opportunity to play for Les Merlus. Lorient are still unbeaten in the league this season, drawing two and winning one. They will travel to promoted side Le Havre on Sunday.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval