Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has joined AC Milan on loan till the end of the season. This deal also includes an option to buy, which would cost the Serie A toppers £26.6 million. The news has been confirmed by both the teams and Tomori himself.
Ciao @acmilan fans👋🏾.
Honoured to have this opportunity to fight for this great club, I can’t wait to show myself on the pitch🔴⚫️.
Un grande abbraccio#ForzaMilan❤️🖤. pic.twitter.com/rd55HvHdOA
— Fikayo Tomori (@fikayotomori_) January 22, 2021
Tomori, a product of the Chelsea academy, has enjoyed great success with Chelsea at the youth level, winning the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League, and becoming Academy Player of the Year in 2016. However, he has struggled to play in Frank Lampard’s team this season, featuring just four times since the arrival of Thiago Silva. He had played a bigger role in Lampard’s first season in charge, where he played in 22 matches.
Since Lampard has been Tomori’s biggest supporter and the 23-year-old was arguably the best center-back during Lampard’s first season with Chelsea as a manager, this move seems a bit odd. But the Blues boss addressed the deal and said, “Fikayo is a developing player, a very good player. I have seen him rise from arriving at Derby when he was quite a quiet lad to being one of the best defenders in the Championship and a Chelsea and England regular so I think his journey has been great. His next step, whether it is on loan or not, he is going to be a top player.”
Milan, who are Serie A’s surprising league toppers at this point, are in the midst of a defensive crisis and need Tomori to improve their chances at the back before their game against Atalanta at San Siro. So, they are delighted to sign the defender on loan.
Born in Calgary, Canada, Tomori made his Premier League debut with Chelsea in 2016. Between January 2017 and June 2019, Tomori played for Brighton, Hull City, and Derby County before returning to Chelsea, where he registered 2 goals. On an international level, Tomori has played 3 games for the Canada Under-20 team before deciding to represent England’s Under-20 team that won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2017. He made his debut for the England senior side in November 2019.