Chelsea have published an official statement in their website announcing the departure of club defender Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan, as the Rossoneri have activated a purchase option to redeem the Englishman.
"The defender spent the second half of last season on loan with Milan, but will make that move permanent next month after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.
Tomori played 22 games for AC Milan last season following his January loan move, helping them to secure Champions League qualification with a third-place finish in Serie A, as well as reaching the last 16 of the Europa League and Coppa Italia quarter-finals. His only goal came in a crucial 3-0 league win over Juventus in May.
The Chelsea Academy graduate had been with the Blues since Under-8s level and made 27 first-team appearances for the club in total, scoring two senior goals.
Tomori enjoyed great success with Chelsea at youth level, winning the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League, scoring in both finals, in addition to being named our Academy Player of the Year in 2016.
He was handed his senior debut by Guus Hiddink that same year, coming off the bench to replace Branislav Ivanovic for the last 30 minutes of our final game of the season, a 1-1 draw with Premier League champions Leicester City.
The defender then spent time on loan in the Championship with Brighton and Hove Albion, Hull City and Derby County, before breaking into the Chelsea men’s first-team squad under then head coach Frank Lampard in the 2019/20 season.
The defender made his mark in a number of competitions that season. He scored a stunning first Chelsea goal by firing into the top corner from long range in a 5-2 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a strike that was voted by supporters as our 2019/20 Goal of the Season, and among four Champions League starts he provided the assist for Tammy Abraham to open the scoring in a 2-1 win away at Lille. In the FA Cup, his headed goal against Hull secured victory for Chelsea and helped us on our way to the final.
Tomori’s performances earned him his first senior England call-up in October 2019, followed by his Three Lions debut in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo a month later. However, that remains his only international cap so far.
With added competition for places at centre-back in 2020/21, Tomori made four appearances in the first half of the campaign. Two of them were starts, both in the Carabao Cup. His solitary Premier League game came as a half-time substitute in a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in September, before moving to AC Milan on loan in January.
Chelsea is grateful to Fikayo for his contributions at the club, from youth level to men’s first-team squad, and wishes him the very best in his future career."
