Chelsea will consider the possibility of loaning out young defender Fikayo Tomori next season, The Athletic’s Simon Johnson reports. The Blues have been linked with a move for West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Frank Lampard wants to use the 21-year-old as a centre-back. This would limit the game time Tomori gets for the Blues, so they could loan him out if the Rice deal comes to fruition.
Chelsea Considering Loaning Out Fikayo Tomori
Only a Loan Move
As per Johnson’s report, it’s only a loan move that Chelsea are considering. They still see Tomori as a huge talent and certainly once for the future. His performances against the likes of Liverpool, Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur have proved this, and this is all just a year after playing on loan at Derby County in the Championship.
This new loan move will purely be to allow Tomori to get some game time elsewhere. Chelsea already have Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma as their main centre-backs. With a potential deal for Rice too, it would leave Tomori limited mainly to appearances in the cup competitions.
This isn’t enough for someone who has already proved he can compete on the big stage. Therefore, it’s likely he could remain in the Premier League, and there is some suggestion that he could be used in the Rice deal by joining West Ham on a season-long loan to allow Chelsea to bring in one of their main targets.
It’s also being reported that Chelsea want some assurances of the playing time that Tomori will receive if he is loaned out. The defender made his debut for England in November against Kosovo and with the European Championships coming up next year, Chelsea will want to ensure that another of their players is representing their country at the tournament.
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