Newcastle in talks with AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori

Newcastle is in discussions with AC Milan and former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori regarding a potential return to the Premier League, according to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider.

Tomori, currently a key player for the Rossoneri, transferred from Chelsea to the Italian club in 2021 for £25 million. His contract with Milan runs until 2027, however, which means it might be costly to acquire him three years from the end of that deal.

Newcastle’s interest in Tomori comes amid a need to strengthen their defense following long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles—who are not expected to return until next year—and the addition of good-not-great Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer.

Eddie Howe is believed to be actively seeking reinforcements to bolster the team’s back line after signing his former pupil Kelly from Bournemouth. At the very least, Newcastle will try to land one more centre-back with the 26-year-old Tomori seen as a suitable candidate to bolster the Magpie ranks on defense.

Tomori has made 142 appearances for AC Milan and he was an important part of the 2021-22 league-winning season. He’s coming off appearing in 32 out of 35 Serie A games last season and he also logged the full 90 minutes in both of Milan’s Champions League matches against Newcastle, providing the Magpies with a sizable sample to study his skill set.

Despite his contributions at the club level, however, Tomori was not included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024. Tomori did start in an England friendly against Australia last October, but he missed out on the big-time continental tourney.

This is not the first time Tomori has been linked with a return to the Premier League, with previous speculations involving Manchester United and his former club Chelsea, according to Jacque Talbot of FourFourTwo.

That said, there are no reports discussing a potential transfer to any of those clubs this summer.