Chelsea youngster Fikayo Tomori has reportedly emerged as a summer transfer target for fellow Premier League outfit Burnley.
According to a report from Daily Star, as carried by The Sun, Chelsea starlet Fikayo Tomori is a wanted man in the ongoing transfer window. The England Under-21 international is being chased by Premier League side Burnley, who could potentially be losing defensive mainstay James Tarkowski this summer.
Tomori, 21, is a product of the Chelsea youth academy and is rated very highly within the club. The centre-back made his first-team debut for the Blues back in May 2016 under caretaker manager Guus Hiddink, but that remains his only senior appearance till date.
Since then, Tomori has had loan spells away at Brighton & Hove Albion (Jan-May 2017), Hull City (2017-18) and most recently at Derby County, where he spent the 2018-19 campaign under Frank Lampard, who was recently appointed as the Chelsea manager.
Tomori was a key part of Derby County last season under Lampard and played an important role as they came close to achieving promotion to the Premier League, only to falter in the playoff finals against Aston Villa. The 21-year-old finished the season with 55 matches in all competitions, scoring 2 goals and assisting one more.
Tomori’s displays seem to have done enough to attract interest from Burnley. The Clarets are facing the prospect of losing star defender James Tarkowski this summer, who has emerged as a target for Leicester City. The Foxes are eyeing the England international as a replacement for Harry Maguire, who is wanted by Manchester City and Manchester United.
This has led Burnley manager Sean Dyche to line up a move for Tomori, who, as per the report, is likely to cost them somewhere around the £15 million mark. However, it could be difficult for the club to convince Chelsea to part with their academy product this summer.
Chelsea lost veteran defender Gary Cahill after his contract ran out, which opens up a space for a centre-back in the squad. Given that they have been slapped with a two-window transfer ban by FIFA, Lampard will have to dip into the youth team reserves to fill the holes in the squad and having worked with Tomori last season, he is likely to lean on him in the upcoming season.
Lampard hinted as much in his interview after being appointed the Chelsea manager. He said, “I was fortunate enough to work with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori last year, their attitudes stood out well.”
“The fact they came through the academy here – you could see it in how they held themselves, how they train, their manners off the pitch so that’s what I want to see. I want to work with those players, I want to dangle the carrot.”
So, it seems like Burnley’s attempt to sign Tomori is likely to prove futile, with Lampard likely to hold on to the Canada-born England Under-21 defender and integrate him fully into the Chelsea first-team in the coming season.