Antonio Conte fears Tiemoue Bakayoko will not be ready to make his full Chelsea debut until September – even if the club finally complete the midfielder’s signing this week.

But despite Bakayoko’s potential absence at the start of the season, Nemanja Matic is desperate to force his way out of Chelsea. It emerged that Bakayoko’s £35million move from Monaco had been held up by a knee injury that required surgery at the end of last season and a disagreement over the payment structure of the fee.

Chelsea hope Bakayoko will complete his medical and get the all clear to sign before they go on pre-season tour to China and Singapore on Monday, but the 22-year-old’s fitness remains a concern.

Bakayoko has worked on his own while he has been waiting to complete his Chelsea switch, but he will be some way behind the rest of the squad in terms of pre-season preparation.

It is understood that Conte is already worried that Bakayoko may not be ready to start for Chelsea until September, meaning he would miss the first three Premier League games of the season against Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

Midfielder Matic has been training on his own since the Chelsea players returned to work this week and left the club’s Cobham base early on Wednesday. He has been carrying an injury that may have held up a move away, but Chelsea’s players are convinced Matic is on the brink of leaving.