AC Milan are plotting a permanent summer swoop for on-loan Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori, who could cost around £26 million.
A recent report from Sky Sports sheds light on the situation of Fikayo Tomori. The Chelsea defender has impressed the onlookers during his ongoing loan spell at AC Milan, with the club’s technical director Paolo Maldini now hinting at a permanent move in the upcoming summer transfer window.
“Tomori is a good talent and we have a buy-option clause,” he told Sky in Italy ahead of their clash at Roma on Sunday. The reported release clause is worth around £26 million, which Maldini believes is “very high”. The Milan board, therefore, is set to have a discussion at the end of the season and make a call on Tomori’s future.
The Englishman had initially joined Milan in search of making a breakthrough in the top-flight, months after falling out of favour under former Chelsea coach Frank Lampard. He fell behind the likes of Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta in the pecking order, prompting him to make the move to Italy in January, in a short-term loan deal.
The move has worked out wonderfully well for the 23-year-old, whose addition to the Milan side has helped head coach Stefano Pioli to better deal with the injury crisis in the defensive unit. Although one of the club’s key centre-backs in Simon Kjaer has returned to full fitness in recent weeks, Tomori has continued to become a regular fixture in the team.
As for Chelsea, the permanent departure of Tomori is unlikely to faze new coach Thomas Tuchel. The German tactician has already made some noticeable changes since his arrival, including the redemption of both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
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The two have appeared quite solid as well, helping the Blues to retain numerous clean sheets in recent weeks. As such, it won’t be surprising to see Rudiger remain at Stamford Bridge beyond summer, despite being linked with a move elsewhere under the leadership of Lampard, earlier this season.
In addition to their rapid rise to prominence under Tuchel, Chelsea are likely to spend big in the summer as well. They are already one of three clubs reportedly eyeing a move for RB Leipzig’s defensive gem Ibrahima Konate while other targets like Jerome Boateng and Niklas Sule could also be considered.
It doesn’t bode well for Tomori, as far as his future at Stamford Bridge is concerned. The Englishman, therefore, could favour a prolonged stay at San Siro as he aims to become a vital component in Pioli’s defensive unit going forward.
