REPORT: Marina Granovskaia set to loan £75,000 a-week Chelsea star in January
According to a report by The Sun, Chelsea are unwilling to let Fikayo Tomori join Newcastle United on loan in the January transfer window. The English international is also the subject of interest from OGC Nice, and the Blues are prepared to sanction a temporary Ligue 1 switch for the youngster.
Tomori joined the Chelsea academy in 2005 and subsequently progressed through the ranks at the west London club before finally breaking into the first-team setup over a decade later. However, it was not until last season when the 22-year-old finally enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Upon impressing Frank Lampard while on-loan at Derby County, he was given a chance to earn his stripes at Chelsea and he did so superbly in 2019/20. However, since the arrival of Thiago Silva this past summer, Tomori has gone tumbling down the pecking order in the defensive department.
With Silva and Kurt Zouma being the first-choice central defensive partnership at Chelsea, Tomori has been relegated to the periphery of the first-team, turning out just three times for the Blues thus far this term. His predicament at Chelsea has paved way for widespread speculation over his future, with a number of clubs showing an interest in the youngster.
Tomori was even linked with a possible loan exit in the summer, with Rennes among the clubs that had been interested in snapping him up. A move did not materialise then but now, Chelsea are keen on finding a temporary home for Tomori, so as to continue his growth. To that end, Nice have now emerged on the trails of the player.
Nice are in the market for a centre-back following the long-term injury sustained by Dante. As a result, the Ligue 1 outfit have also been linked with William Saliba, another defender, who, like Tomori, finds himself in a bothersome position at his current club over a lack of minutes.
Apart from Nice, Newcastle United are also eager to swoop Tomori away from Chelsea, who are reportedly looking to temporarily offload the 22-year-old. Chelsea, though, are not prepared to let the young centre-back join a fellow Premier League club, making Nice a likely destination.
What now remains to be seen is if Nice do end up making a move for Tomori, who is in desperate need of some game-time. If not, it will be interesting to see if any other suitor emerges with a serious offer in his pursuit.