Tiemoue Bakayoko: AC Milan midfielder stopped by police before being released

AC Milan say police apologised to midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko after he was stopped as part of a search for a suspect involved in a shooting.

The incident happened in Milan on 3 July but went viral after being shared on social media on Monday.

In the video the 27-year-old, who is on loan from Chelsea, can been seen being searched by a policeman while two officers point a gun at a car.

After a conversation between the officers the Frenchman is released.

“After a shootout in the area where the midfielder happened to be, the police started making checks,” an AC Milan spokesperson said.

“The player was stopped but as soon as the police verified that he had nothing to do with what happened, they apologised and let him go.”

BBC Sport has contacted the Milan police for comment.

However, in a statement released to Reuters, police said: “It should be noted that the search occurred in an operational context that justified the adoption of the highest security measures.

“Also as a function of self-protection and was carried out in a manner absolutely consistent with the type of alarm in progress.

“Once the person had been identified and established that he was not involved, the service was resumed without any kind of remark from the person concerned.”

Bakayoko joined Milan on a two-year loan last summer, having also spent the 2018-19 season at the San Siro.

He made 18 appearances last season as the Rossoneri won Serie A.

The Frenchman signed for Chelsea from Monaco in 2017 for £40m and made 43 appearances for the club in his first season.

He returned to Monaco on loan in August 2019 before switching to Napoli for a season-long loan in October 2020.

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