Rennes have reportedly established contact with Chelsea over a possible loan deal for Fikayo Tomori in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by French publication L’Equipe, Fikayo Tomori is being courted by Rennes. The Ligue 1 outfit have approached Chelsea over the possibility of signing the 22-year-old on a loan deal in the summer transfer window.
Tomori has been with Chelsea since 2005 and subsequently progressed through the ranks before breaking into the first-team setup a decade later. The youngster made his senior bow in May 2016, but had to wait three more years before he was able to establish a foothold in the first-team setup, having been sent out on loan in each of the three previous seasons.
However, after he impressed Frank Lampard when the pair were at Derby County, the then-newly appointed Chelsea manager decided to integrate the 22-year-old in the first-team squad. Tomori impressed a great deal in the first half of the season, when he managed to become a regular face at the back.
However, the second half of the campaign has been a struggle for Tomori, owing to injury troubles and form. Nevertheless, he has still done well to amass 22 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea this term. However, it seems like the player could be set for a fourth loan spell away from Stamford Bridge.
Ligue 1 outfit Rennes are interested in swooping Tomori away from Chelsea on a temporary basis, as they look to revamp their defence in the summer transfer window. Currently, Julien Stephan only has three centre-backs at his disposal, with captain Damien Da Silva well into his thirties.
As a result, it is likely that Rennes could sign as many as two centre-backs this summer, with Benoit Badiashile and Nayef Aguerd also on their radar. As far as Tomori are concerned, Les Rouge et Noir have already established contact with Chelsea and enquired about the possibility of signing the youngster.
A possible decision to send Tomori out on loan could be a step in the right direction from Lampard. This would give him ample time to judge who among Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma he needs to axe next summer, with each of the three defenders being inconsistent this season, whilst he goes ahead and bolsters his defence at the same time, with Declan Rice linked.
Having said that, it will be interesting to see if Tomori is actually sent out on loan, as Zouma has been linked with a summer departure as well. If the 22-year-old does join Rennes temporarily, he could potentially have an entire season of regular game time to further grow in his career before staking claim at Chelsea. It now remains to be seen if a loan move does beckon Tomori.
