'I’m in love with Piatek' - Bakayoko confesses admiration for Milan attacker

Tiemoue Bakayoko has reiterated his desire to stay at Milan beyond this summer and confessed that ‘I’m in love’ with Krzysztof Piatek.

Bakayoko has been making no secret of his wish to become a Milan player permanently after rediscovering his form at San Siro, while Piatek has scored six goals in his first five appearances for the Rossoneri.

“I’m in love with Piatek,” the Chelsea loanee told RMC Sport.

“We wanted to make a good impression in the Europa League, but we were eliminated on the last day of the group stage.

“It’s a shame. It’s hard to stay behind and watch your opponents on the pitch. My future? We’re waiting for the end of the season.

“I’m under contract with Chelsea, but I’m very happy at Milan and I’d like to continue with them.

“It was difficult at the start, also because of the language. Today things are going much better, both on the field and in everyday life, and I’m very happy.

“As for the future, the objective is to finish in the top four with Milan and have a surprise: a recall to the national team.

“The percentage of our wins has increased, but the whole team deserve credit. We had a difficult start and for me it wasn’t easy to adapt to a new team and new surroundings.

“I think I’ve become an important player and I‘ve tried my best to help Milan get back to where they deserve to be.

“At the start I was only played sparingly and I was judged a bit too soon. When I started playing regularly, I was able to improve my performances. That’s what I lacked: continuity.”

The midfielder’s turnaround is especially notable after Coach Gennaro Gattuso claimed back in August that ‘he has to learn how to receive the ball, which means improving his positioning and posture.’

“I talked to Gattuso because he said some strong words,” admitted the 24-year-old.

“Learning to receive ball is one aspect of the game you learn when you start playing football. They were words that rung with me, but deep down I knew I would change things.

“I remember [Milan’s 2007 Champions League] Final in Athens and I don’t think there’s any need to talk about the history of this club or the trophies they’ve won.

“When I arrived I saw all their photos and trophies. It’s truly impressive. I hope we can return to the Champions League.”