Available centre-back could be ideal move for Leicester

With Leicester City in search of another centre-back this summer, could they save money by loaning Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori?

With names such as Merih Demiral and James Tarkowski being linked with a move to King Power Stadium, the Leicester City could divert their budget elsewhere by securing the loan signing of Fikayo Tomori.

Tomori currently plays for Chelsea after joining the Blues when he was only eight. He made his professional debut against the Foxes on the final day of the 2015/16 campaign and spent the final half of the following season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion.

After impressing loan periods at Hull City (2017/18) and Derby County (2018/19), Tomori featured on the bench for the opening three games of last season before starting the next 11 games.

His early-season form earned him his England debut in November, but he slipped down Lampard’s pecking order in 2020 as Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma were deployed to help the Blues earn Champions League football.

After starting in the victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at the end of 2019, Tomori featured only once in the league and was only in Frank Lampard’s squad three times following the restart.

With Lampard eyeing up possible improvements to his centre-backs, it is likely Tomori will be sent out on loan to gain valuable experience. With Rennes inquiring about his services, a possible loan move to a fellow Premier League side would suit the 22-year-old.

With no apparent teams rumoured to be interested in Tomori, a loan spell to a Premier League team would benefit the defender more, with the standard in Ligue 1 not at the level of the English league.

Rennes finished 3rd in Ligue 1 last year, 18 points of PSG, beating Lille, Nice and AS Monaco to a Champions League spot. However, they finished bottom of their Europa League group that contained Celtic, CFR Cluj and Lazio meaning it is likely they won’t go far in the Champions League.

With Leicester requiring an additional centre-back ahead of the 2020/21 season, Tomori could be an excellent addition. The tall, fast and powerful centre-back displayed his talent in the first half of the campaign and would certainly improve the Foxes.

Tomori completed 89.3% of his passes last season and can play in a back four or a back three. If Leicester can secure the loan signing, he will compete with Jonny Evans, Caglar Soyuncu and Filip Benkovic next season.

Chelsea have been linked with Declan Rice from West Ham United and Tomori is talked about with regard to the Olympic Stadium to help the move for Rice. Yet with European football secured for Leicester City, a move to the East Midlands would suit Tomori more.