Milan suggest again that Chelsea’s Tomori asking price is too expensive

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 12 Aug 2021 14:24 BST
• 3 min read

Milan director Frederic Massara says the club are yet to decide whether they will take up their option to sign Fikayo Tomori on a permanent basis, but insists the current asking price is too expensive.

The Rossoneri secured the loan signing of Tomori in the January transfer window until the end of the season, and can sign him on a permanent basis if they pay Chelsea’s reported valuation of £26m (€31m).

Though Tomori has impressed since his arrival at San Siro, making three starts for Milan so far, the Italian side have reiterated their opinion that he could prove to be too expensive to buy at the current price.

“We’ll see if we pay Fikayo Tomori’s buy option,” Massara told DAZN.

“We are very happy about his start here, the price is very high. We will decide in the coming months.”

The comments from Massara come just a few days after fellow Milan dignitary Paolo Maldini made similar comments surrounding the potential permanent transfer of Tomori.

Massara has previously spoken about why Milan decided to bring Tomori in – because he gives the squad something different in the central defensive position.

“The price is very high”

“We always try to have an option to buy,” he told "We always try to have an option to buy," he told SempreMilan. "Sometimes it is not possible and in order to have the player you give up.

"We had to fight enough for Tomori, we are convinced that he can help us, he has different characteristics from the defenders in the squad. "He has qualities like speed and aggression that ours have less markedly, but we are happy with Kjaer, Romagnoli, Gabbia, Kalulu and Musacchio. We consider ourselves complete and we are confident. Tonight we expect a very complicated match."

“Sometimes it is not possible and in order to have the player you give up. We had to fight enough for Tomori, we are convinced that he can help us, he has different characteristics from the defenders in the squad.

“He has qualities like speed and aggression that ours have less markedly, but we are happy with Kjaer, Romagnoli, Gabbia, Kalulu and Musacchio. We consider ourselves complete and we are confident.”

Though Milan remain in the title race this season, their early-season form has declined over the past few months to the point that they are now three points behind arch rivals Inter at the top of Serie A, with the Nerazzurri also having the advantage of a game in hand.

On Wednesday, the had to rely on a 97th minute penalty from Franck Kessie just to draw 1-1 at home to Udinese.