Davide Zappacosta was keen to return to Italy and has now secured permanent move to Atalanta; wing-back previously played for the Serie A side between 2011 and 2015; AC Milan identified Tiemoue Bakayoko as a transfer target in June; midfielder spent a season on loan at Milan in 2018-19
Tuesday 24 August 2021 16:48, UK
Chelsea wing-back Davide Zappacosta has returned to Atalanta on a permanent deal, while the Blues are close to reaching an agreement with AC Milan for Tiemoue Bakayoko to join the Italian side on loan with an option to buy.
Zappacosta - who was also attracting interest from Fiorentina - returns to Italy four years after signing for Chelsea from Torino for £24m.
He made 52 appearances for the club in all competitions and won the FA Cup and Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Writing on social media, Zappacosta said: "Goodbye Chelsea, what an amazing journey! One FA Cup, one UEFA Cup, wearing this colour gives you a special emotion!
"Thank you for everything and best of luck for the future. Zap."
Zappacosta spent the last two seasons back on loan in Serie A, firstly with Roma and then with Genoa.
The 29-year-old previously spent four years with Atalanta before moving to Torino in 2015.
His last appearance for Chelsea was as an 89th-minute substitute for Eden Hazard when they won the Europa League by beating Arsenal 4-1 in Baku in May 2019.
Zappacosta could soon be joined in Italy by Bakayoko, who was identified by Milan as a summer target back in June when Sky Sports News reported the Serie A club also wanted Chelsea pair Olivier Giroud and Hakim Ziyech.
Giroud completed his move to Milan in July, and now Bakayoko - who spent the 2018-19 season on loan at the club - is nearing a return to Italy.
Bakayoko has failed to hold down a place in Chelsea's first team since arriving from Monaco for £40m in 2017.
He moved to Milan a year after making 29 Premier League appearances for Chelsea in 2017-18, and he then joined Monaco on loan in 2019-20 and Napoli a season later.
You can follow all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms, as well as keeping track of all the developments on Sky Sports News.
