Mateo Kovacic looks set to remain at Chelsea following his loan spell last season, with The Telegraph's Matt Law reporting that the west London club have reached an agreement with Real Madrid over a permanent deal for the 25-year-old.

Good news? With their transfer embargo banning other signings other than his, perhaps, though not everyone will be delighted with this latest development.

Tiemoue Bakayoko, for example, had seemingly been hoping for a Chelsea stay after his AC Milan loan.

"We already know there is the Champions League [at Chelsea] and we are looking for stability. Tiemoue has decided to stay there," the Frenchman's agent Abdoulaye recently told L'Equipe (via Evening Standard).

But with the likes of N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley and now Kovacic looking as if they will renew their battle for a midfield spot next season, things are looking bleak for a midfielder who really struggled in his debut campaign in England (made two errors leading to goals in the Premier League) and was berated by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports for a performance against Watford in January 2019, described one of the worst of the season.

Yes, at AC Milan, Bakayoko has certainly improved. For example, he has been carrying the ball better, averaging 2 dribbles per game compared to the 1.2 he was making the season prior (as per WhoScored).

To put that into perspective, it is even higher than the 1.8 dribbles he averaged during his final season with AS Monaco, the club you would say he has probably played his best football at. Indeed, at the Stade Louis II, he won the Ligue 1 title, playing in 32 games with an average rating of 7.27 as Monaco toppled PSG.

But even so, there just does not look to be any space in this Chelsea squad for Bakayoko. On top of Kovacic, Kante, Jorginho and Barkley, there is also Mason Mount, who was a major part of rumoured new manager Frank Lampard's Derby side last season. And when Ruben Loftus-Cheek returns from injury, he will surely be in the equation, too.

Under Lampard, the Rams did deploy a 4-3-3 formation more than any other system last season (28 times, the next closest was a 4-2-3-1 19 times) so, with only three starting midfielders, such an overflow could make life difficult for the Frenchman. When all options mentioned outside of Bakayoko are fit, that's seven players for three roles, so it's hard to see a space for him.

After just 29 league appearances, Bakayoko's Chelsea career looks in serious jeopardy.

Chelsea fans, is Bakayoko finished at Stamford Bridge? Let us know what you think by commenting below!