Chelsea's signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco in 2017 looked to be an extremely promising one considering his performances with the Ligue 1 side but he has well and truly rinsed the west London club in his six-year stay at Stamford Bridge.

How much did Tiemoue Bakayoko cost Chelsea?

Chelsea completed the signing of the French midfielder from Monaco in the summer of 2017 for an eye-watering fee of £40m, which made him the second-most expensive signing in the Blues' history at the time, with only Fernando Torres having cost more.

He would sign a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge but saw his contract inexplicably extended until 2024 back in 2021, ahead of his two-year loan move to AC Milan.

Bakayoko's first season at Chelsea was the last time he made a senior appearance for the Blues, but he didn't perform too badly under Antonio Conte in the 2017/18 season, averaging a 6.87 rating from WhoScored across his 29 appearances in the Premier League.

What's been said about Tiemoue Bakayoko?

He clearly failed to win over the staff, fans or pundits, with Chelsea legend Frank Lampard not holding back in his criticism of the midfielder when speaking on Match of the Day back in 2018.

He said (via Daily Mail): "His body language is slow, he sticks half a leg out at the ball. Fans will stick with you if you show reactions and urgency but he's not moving quickly enough and he has to switch on.

"You can have a dip when you come from another league but we are in January now and I really think he needs to start picking up. I think he might be struggling, it may be a confidence issue."

He was promptly sent out on loan ahead of the 2018/19 season in the hope that he could rediscover his confidence but it seems clear now that he won't make it at Stamford Bridge, having failed to appear for the Blues in any of the last five seasons.

Spells with AC Milan, Napoli and AS Monaco would follow for the former France international but Chelsea were never willing to take a gamble on the £40m man again, with Gennaro Gattuso also critical of the midfielder in 2018 in his first spell at the San Siro.

He said: "Bakayoko has to learn how to get the ball. 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."

He returned to the Rossoneri on a two-year loan deal in the summer of 2021, with the Serie A giants reportedly obligated to buy Bakayoko if he were to play 45 minutes in at least 15 games this season.

It is perhaps no surprise that he has mustered just 32 minutes of action ins Stefano Pioli's side so far this campaign, with a return to Stamford Bridge certainly on the cards again this summer.

Bakayoko's contract is set to expire in 2024 and he has already been a Chelsea player for 297 weeks, so Graham Potter must find a way of getting rid of the £40m flop this summer, even if it means letting him leave for nothing.