West Ham United are set to compete with Premier League rivals Aston Villa for the signing of AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori.
Fikayo Tomori, 27, initially joined AC Milan on loan from Chelsea in January 2021 before completing the permanent deal in the subsequent summer transfer window. The Englishman enjoyed a stellar debut season with the Rossoneri, winning the Serie A title and starting most of their games until suffering a hamstring injury last season.
The centre-back has struggled to win back his place in the starting XI since then. He has only played nine Serie A games so far this season, starting only six of those. However, that hasn’t stopped Fikayo Tomori from being linked with a return to the Premier League, where West Ham and Aston Villa are reportedly vying for his signature.
West Ham, Aston Villa keen on Fikayo Tomori
West Ham have been defensively all over the place this season, despite recruiting quality centre-backs such as Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo. The Hammers have the third-worst defensive record in the division, conceding 35 goals in 19 games.
Thus, it is not surprising that the club chiefs are scouring the market for defensive reinforcements ahead of the winter transfer window. Tomori has emerged as a target, especially with Todibo’s future at the London Stadium uncertain.
The England international has previous Premier League experience with Chelsea and could be a smart signing for West Ham. He could provide Julen Lopetegui’s side with the defensively solidity that they have been lacking since the start of the season.
As for Aston Villa, they haven’t been defensively great either. In Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa, the Villans have a strong starting centre-back pairing. However, beyond them, they lack quality cover with Tyrone Mings and Diego Carlos extremely error-prone. Plus, there is uncertainty over the long-term future of Carlos, who could be sold in January.
Tomori would potentially be an upgrade on Carlos whilst being a strong option to challenge Torres and Konsa for a place in the starting XI. The five-cap England international is eyeing a return to the Premier League and Villa would be an ideal destination.
Milan are looking for €30m to sell the central defender next year, which should make it financially feasible for both the Premier League clubs. It remains to be seen whether Tomori moves back to England or ends up staying put at Milan in January.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
