Chelsea are willing to let Fikayo Tomori go on loan to West Ham United to lower the price for Declan Rice.
Frank Lampard wants to bring back Chelsea’s former academy player to the Bridge and he is valued at an obscene price of over £70 million.
Chelsea’s recruitment strategy is based around youth and quality as seen by the recent additions of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. Rice at 21 has established himself as a prominent defensive presence over the past two seasons. He can play at centre-back and midfield as well, lately impressing the most in the middle of the park.
Fikayo Tomori, on the other hand, has fallen down Lampard’s pecking order, making just 7 appearances since the break of the year. While the youngster has a lot of promise, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are Lampard’s first choice at the heart of the Chelsea defence. The lack of playing time could hinder his development which makes a loan spell very profitable for the long-term.
Rice is already very close with Mason Mount, having shared the pitch as youth level and for England. Mount has earmarked a very important role in the Chelsea midfield while still developing his game. Rice would be seen as a fitting partner to play behind Mount, sweeping up opposition attacks and linking up the attack.
Right now, football clubs are desperate to find bargain deals and players arriving on exchange has become very popular. But Chelsea might need to offer more than just a loan deal for Tomori to bring down Rice’s asking price.
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