Chelsea’s £40million flop Tiemoue Bakayoko could face a humiliating return to England after AC Milan threatened to cut short his loan deal.
The 24-year-old midfielder moved to the San Siro on a season-long loan after a disappointing start to life at Stamford Bridge.
But his stay in Serie A could end as early as January, with Corriere dello Sport claiming he has six games to save his Milan career.
Bakayoko was signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2017 but was shipped out following a string of underwhelming displays.
In Serie A, he has made only four substitute appearances so far for Milan and manager Gennaro Gattuso has suggested he is still too raw to make an impact.
‘Bakayoko has to learn how to get the ball,’ he said recently. ‘We must work correctly. It will not be easy.
‘One week is not enough to remove the defects of a player. I would have preferred to be managing older, more experienced club players.’
