Todd Boehly has been tasked with the mission of re-signing Fikayo Tomori, with Thomas Tuchel eager to orchestrate a squad rebuild this summer. The 24-year-old swapped Stamford Bridge for the San Siro in January 2021 and hasn't looked back since.
Chelsea could well look back to rue their decision amid the looming departures of Fikayo Tomori, and Andreas Christensen, who are both set to leave west London in the comings weeks once their contracts expire. Tomori has impressed this season for the Italian giants, guiding Stefano Pioli's side to the club's first Scudetto in 11 years to hold of the challenge of city rivals Inter.
The Cobham graduate's imperious displays have attracted the attention of Gareth Southgate, with the England boss naming the centre-half in his 27-man squad for their upcoming Nations League matches. With the help of Rossoneri technical director Paulo Maldini, he has transcended into one of Europe's most feared defenders.
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No outfield player other than Theo Hernandez has played more minutes than Tomori this season for AC Milan, totalling an impressive 3,356 minutes across all competitions — he appeared for just 2,067 minutes across one-and-a-half seasons under Frank Lampard.
Ironically, Tomori's profile makes him the perfect candidate for Tuchel's new-look backline next season. And, the Chelsea boss has been urged to re-sign the defender, who is valued at just £34m by CIES Football Observatory.
Speaking on the talkSPORT Kick Off show, former Chelsea defender Scott Minto has urged Boehly to sign the England international as part of the Blues' rebuild. He said: "I think he would be superb. I saw him at Derby and thought he was brilliant, he was Derby’s player of the year, and he lifted himself up whenever he played in a Chelsea shirt.
"If I was him I would enjoy the foreign experience for as long as possible," Minto added. "Because it may never happen again, especially if you could go back to a club like Chelsea and stay there.
“You still need to get experience and Chelsea have got Thiago Silva there right now, but he’s probably got one year left in him. Trevoh Chalobah, who’s done so well, on top of that. So giving Tomori another year at AC Milan and then trying to get him back to Chelsea – I don’t see why not.”
Boehly's consortium, who have agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the west London club, are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline. And, with the new ownership group eager to bolster the Blues armoury, The Telegraph indicate that, after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side.
Jules Kounde looks set to be the first signing of the new era, with the 23-year-old having recently been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea.
Speaking to football.london, the Chelsea boss outlined his intentions at the club in the coming weeks. He said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."
