Italian giants set to complete defender deal as Chelsea net tidy sum
Reports in Italy claim AC Milan will announce the signing of defender Fikayo Tomori by the end of the week after reaching an agreement with Chelsea.
The 23-year-old spent the second half of 2020-2021 on loan with the Rossoneri. And he impressed all with his displays at the heart of defence, making 16 Serie A starts among 17 appearances. Stefano Pioli is a big fan of the Canadian-born stopper, handing him 23 outings in all competitions.
The Italian giants have made no secret of their desire to sign him on a permanent basis. They looked to drive down his price but Marina Granovskaia refused to budge on the club’s valuation of €28m.
Calciomercato.com are reporting that an official announcement over the transfer will be made by Milan on Friday. They have already forked out €1m for his loan and will tag on €27m to complete the deal.
Tomori was never really given an opportunity at Stamford Bridge. After coming up through the club’s youth ranks he signed his first professional contract in 2016.
But the man with one England cap was then farmed out to a number of clubs on loan. He spent time at Brighton, Hull City and Derby County and made just 27 appearances for the west Londoners.
Chance for Tomori to prove doubters wrong
His best season at Stamford Bridge was 2019-20 when he enjoyed 22 outings in all competitions. That was the season in which he gained his solitary Three Lions cap – against Kosovo in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier.
He will hope that a move to Italy and the increased exposure will put him back in favour with Gareth Southgate. It was while he was with Derby that people started to sit up and take note of the centre-half.
Having made 25 Championship appearances for Hull the season before, he started 46 second-tier games for the Rams in 2018-19. He was given a chance at the Bridge the following campaign, with 15 starts under Frank Lampard.
But he then fell out of favour with the former England star and the writing seemed on the wall. It has taken a move to Milan to unlock the potential, with Thomas Tuchel yet to see him play up close and personal.
The German tactician is expected to bring in a number of new faces to build on Chelsea’s Champions League triumph. And Tomori’s exit may well have added to his summer budget.
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