AMADOU Bakayoko has called time on his Wanderers career, signing for fellow League One side Forest Green on an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old Sierra Leone international made a total of 67 appearances for Bolton and scored 17 goals after moving from Coventry City in the summer of 2021.

Bakayoko was Wanderers’ second top-scorer last season, becoming only the third player behind Eoin Doyle and Dapo Afolayan to register more than a dozen goals in a single season for the past 20 years.

Bakayoko earned a reputation for scoring important goals for the Whites, most notably a famous equaliser at Morecambe or an injury time winner at Crewe Alexandra.

But he has fallen down the pecking order this season and despite making 28 appearances in all competitions, only five starts have been in League One.

Bakayoko won his first international cap last summer, scoring on his debut against Liberia, and has since gone on to win four more caps for his country.

But at club level he struggled to push on this season to command a regular place in the side, with Dion Charles, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Elias Kachunga and Dapo Afolayan all playing more minutes.

The arrival of Dan Nlundulu on loan from Southampton seemingly pushed him further from the first team equation and while Ian Evatt claimed that Bakayoko hoped to stay and fight for his position when asked about his situation last week, Forest Green’s offer has proved acceptable to all parties.

The Gloucestershire men have recently lost Connor Wickham and were on the lookout for a player to lead their attack.

Bakayoko, who grew up in the Midlands, has signed a two-year deal with the Forest Green and could return with his new club on January 24 when the two sides meet at the University of Bolton Stadium.

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