- 5 hours ago
Chelsea make RISKY decision over England star as Juventus make first offer
Robin Bairner
- 4 Jan 2025 21:15 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea have been offered the chance to re-sign Fikayo Tomori but will have to act quickly to beat Juventus to the signing of the AC Milan centre-back.
Tomori left Chelsea in January 2021 for Milan on loan and ultimately secured a permanent move on a transfer worth €34 million.
Capped five times by England, the 27-year-old finds himself on the periphery of things at San Siro. Sky Sport Deutschland claims that he has grown frustrated by his lack of first-team opportunities, and while Sergio Conceicao has recently replaced Paulo Fonseca as head coach at the Rossoneri, he is seeking to make a move away from the club this month.
STATS
Fikayo Tomori
D (C)
Milan
Fikayo Tomori
D (C)
Milan
His agent has reportedly offered the centre-back to several clubs in the Premier League, including Chelsea, who have shown little interest in bringing him back to Stamford Bridge, despite being in the market for a player in his role.
Instead, Tomori, who is under contract until June 2027, could be Juventus-bound.
Fichajes reports that the Turin giants are “determined” to land the centre-back and are eyeing up a formal offer of around €25m for the player.
Fikayo Tomori: Should Chelsea think again?
Juventus are interested in Tomori because of the solidarity and leadership that he could bring to a defence that has been flimsy this season, while his experience both in Europe and Serie A make him doubly interesting for Thiago Motta.
Chelsea, meanwhile, would similarly benefit from these attributes in what is a very young and somewhat error-prone backline. Enzo Maresca, after all, has suggested he wants a central defensive reinforcement this January.
While the player wants to leave, Milan will not readily sell him. Conceicao is said to want to retain the player, with Tomori seen as vital to retaining the defensive balance of the team. He started in the 2-1 Supercoppa Italiana victory over Juve on 3 January.
But with the San Siro club’s financial position somewhat uncomfortable, it may be that Juventus’ bid is enough to tempt them into a move.
Tomori’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €33m, which makes the suggested fee of €25m a bargain, and should tempt Chelsea to think again about their decision.
