Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is reportedly also in discussions with the club over signing a new contract to commit his long-term future.
The 21-year-old made a positive impression on Frank Lampard during their time together at Derby County last season, as the loanee almost helped the Rams to secure promotion from the Championship.
However, after returning to Chelsea this past summer and coupled with Lampard’s appointment as Maurizio Sarri’s successor, the pair have been given another chance to work together and Tomori is beginning to now establish himself in the Blues XI.
The talented centre-half has started in the last three games, and so it appears as though he could now cement his place in the core group of young players who are making a big impression under Lampard at Stamford Bridge so far this season with the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek still to come back from injury.
According to The Guardian, Tomori is also said to have begun talks with Chelsea over a new contract along with Tammy Abraham, with his current deal set to expire in 2021.
Given his new-found importance in the squad coupled with the progression that he is seemingly making in west London, it’s arguably a no-brainer from Chelsea’s perspective to secure a long-term deal and protect their talent and the investment that they’ve put into him.
Abraham and Hudson-Odoi are also said to be closing in on new deals at Chelsea, as per the report, and so perhaps with their transfer ban playing a key role in their decision-making this year, the focus appears to be on solidifying their core base of youngsters who have come through the youth ranks ready for next year when they can start to add significant reinforcements again.
That in turn could allow Chelsea to find a winning balance between experience and youth to get back to their previous position of challenging for major trophies.
As per the Telegraph, the trio above wouldn’t be the first of the group of youngsters to pen a new deal this year, with Mason Mount already signing a new contract this past summer and he has since gone on to enjoy a superb start to the campaign.