BEVERLY HILLS, June 01, (THEWILL) – The Italian league’s second-leading Milan club AC Milan have reached an agreement with Chelsea over a deal to sign centre-back Fikayo Tomori on a permanent basis.
Tomori, seeking to get more playtime after being sidelined by Thomas Tuchel in Stamford Bridge, joined Milan on loan in January and became an instant hit.
The performances of the 23-year-old saw him commanding a regular spot in the first team almost immediately and helping fire I Rossoneri to Champions League football next season with goal-scoring and assists.
It was easy to understand Milan’s intention to buy Tomori permanently. They nursed the desire to make him fully part of the Milan project but the £25m clause on Tomori’s contract necessitated a need for the Italian side to reach out to Chelsea for a discount negotiation on behalf of the centre-back.
His remarkable performances have not helped the negotiations. What his stay in Serie A has done, instead, has simply led Chelsea to place a higher premium on the player and made them reluctant to beat down their asking price as that would amount to cheapening the value of the player and earning less than he is worth.
Reports monitored by THEWILL, however, reveal that both parties have finally reached an agreement as Chelsea stuck to their guns, meaning the English Premier League club will receive the full £25m when the deal is completed fit Tomori’s permanent move to Milan.
It may not have come at a discount but Milan have done themselves very good early business in copping the transfer of an uncompromising defender that was underestimated at Stamford Bridge. Although without his input the Chelsea defensive prowess is near impregnable, Tomori still has the quality to fit right in.
The 23-year-old saw 22 appearances in all competitions for Milan. He was often employed as a substitute for club captain Alessio Romagnoli in the starting lineup. Tomori even bagged his first goal for the club in a 3-0 thumping of Juventus with a header that saw him break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for highest jump in league history this season.
Chelsea may have wanted to keep him but it is also good business on their part because they may be flowing with Roman Abramovich’s cash, but now, they have an extra £25m to reinvest in the transfer market.
In their hunt for a clinical finisher, the Blues will not bother too much about their backline, which had proven records to illustrate their compactness like the UEFA Champions League, but keep their focus on Inter’s Romelu Lukaku. The former Red Devils’ frontman is the Blues’ top target to solve their bluntness in front of goal.
Other targets of Tuchel’s side include West Ham’s Declan Rice and Wolves’ Adama Traore neither of whom boast the goal credentials of the Belgian Lukaku.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
