If AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori feels he has unfinished business in the Premier League, then interest from West Ham United in the former Chelsea youngster may be the opportunity he has been waiting for.
After turning 27 in December, reports from Italy have suggested that Milan could let Tomori go this summer for just £25 million.
West Ham were linked with the five-cap England international during the winter window.
According to an update provided via TBR Football this week, meanwhile, West Ham United are still very much in the running five months on.
Graham Potter’s side will face considerable competition though. Newcastle United, Everton, Crystal Palace and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also considering the one-time Hull City, Derby County and Brighton loanee.
Now, in the meantime, Milan have re-hired former coach Massimiliano Allegri in an attempt to recapture past glories after the ill-fated Sergio Conceicao regime.
And while Italian reporter Matteo Moretto reports that Tomori is the kind of centre-back former Juventus boss Allegri admires, the feeling is that the Canada-born defender has simply run out of road after four years with the Rossoneri.
Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images
West Ham United given Fikayo Tomori boost by AC Milan decision
Moretto, speaking alongside Fabrizio Romano on Friday, reports that in an ideal world Milan would prefer to send Tomori to a club in another major European league.
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The prospect of Tomori moving south with newly-crowned Serie A champions Napoli and widening the gap between the two clubs is, understandably, something the seven-time European champions would rather avoid.
“Tomori is a profile that Allegri likes a lot,” Moretto explains. “However – like a good part of, if not all of Milan’s squad – with the right offer Tomori could leave.
“So I don’t rule out that Tomori could eventually find a place [to play away from San Siro].
“I was told that some intermediaries worked on [a deal to take] Tomori to Napoli. Milan would like to find an interesting offer that comes from abroad rather than from Italy, but we are keeping this situation under close observation.”
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Tomori was part of Milan’s only Scudetto success – coming in the 2021/22 season – since Allegri’s first spell at the San Siro ended over a decade ago. He started only 19 Serie A matches last term, however, with Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic keeping him out of the Rossoneri XI for large spells.
West Ham are closing in on their first signing of what is likely to be a busy summer at the London Stadium. Burnley captain Josh Brownhill is in ‘advanced’ talks with the London Stadium outfit.
Two of his Clarets teammates – CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve – are also under consideration by a Hammers side looking to enhance their defensive options despite the £32 million permanent addition of Jean-Clair Todibo this week.
Egan-Riley is set to become a free-agent in three weeks’ time. Esteve is on Bayern Munich’s radar, meanwhile, but the Frenchman has made it clear that his priority is to become an established Premier League operator.
Back at the San Siro, AC Milan are rivalling West Ham for Raphael Onyedika’s signature. The Hammers appear to have an early advantage with the £20 million-rated Club Brugge midfielder’s agent admitting that English football is also his preferred destination.