AC Milan ‘trigger permanent clause’ to sign Fikayo Tomori for £25m from Chelsea with five-year deal expected to be ‘completed and announced’ NEXT WEEK
- AC Milan are set to make Fikayo Tomori’s loan spell in Italy a permanent one
- Reports suggest they’ve triggered the clause to sign the defender from Chelsea
- It’s claimed the 23-year-old will join Milan on a five-year-deal in a £25m deal
- Tomori has impressed in his six months in Italy since arriving on loan in January
AC Milan have reportedly told Chelsea they will be triggering the clause to sign Fikayo Tomori on a permanent deal for £25million.
The 23-year-old joined Milan on loan in January, impressing in his time there as he helped the team to finish second in Serie A and secure Champions League football.
And according to Fabrizio Romano, the Italian side have officially triggered the clause to make the move a permanent one, in a five-year deal which should be completed next week.
Fikayo Tomori is set to join AC Milan this summer in a £25m move on a five-year deal at the club
The defender joined Chelsea at under-eight level but will leave the Blues this summer
The move is an unsurprising one, with Milan boss Stefano Pioli making it clear last month that he wanted the English defender to stay at the San Siro.
‘We want to buy Tomori on a permanent deal from Chelsea, our intention is clear and also Fikayo’s decision,’ Pioli said.
‘We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.’
It was a sentiment shared by the club’s honorary vice-president and legendary centre back Franco Baresi earlier this season.
‘We will do everything possible to sign (Tomori) on a permanent deal,’ Baresi said.
Milan boss Stefano Piolo was full of praise for Tomori during his loan move in Italy last season
‘Tomori is imposing himself with talent and determination. He has shown no fear playing in a new league.
‘He can potentially become a great champion. I hope he lives up to expectations.’
Tomori has been a Chelsea player since joining the academy at under-eight level, before spending loan spells at Brighton, Hull and Derby.
He made 17 Premier League appearances for the Blues, 15 of which came in the 2019-20 season under Frank Lampard, who had regularly relied on him as Derby manager the year before.
It had seemed likely his former Chelsea team-mate Olivier Giroud was going to join him at the San Siro next season, but the Frenchman has signed a new deal at Stamford Bridge to put an end to rumours of a summer departure.
The 23-year-old was a regular under Frank Lampard at Derby during the 2018-19 campaign