In the summer of 2020, Chelsea sanctioned a transfer that really divided the club's fan base. The Blues agreed for academy graduate Fikayo Tomori to move to AC Milan on loan and a £30million (£25m plus add-ons) clause was included in the deal to make it permanent at a later date.
A graduate from Cobham, full of potential and promise, allowed to leave for a fee that can be considered as fairly modest in today's inflated transfer market. The season before, Tomori was in and out of the team – making 22 appearances in all competitions – under Frank Lampard, where he really made his breakthrough in the first team after an impressive loan spell at Derby County.
The now 25-year-old's rise at Milan has only showcased Chelsea's lapse of judgement to a wider audience and the same can perhaps be said about Tammy Abraham. Similarly, the former Chelsea academy graduate was allowed to leave on a permanent deal to Italy, where he has flourished for AS Roma over the past two years.
Abraham was sold for £34m – again, not too expensive for a player full of potential. The 25-year-old England international's form and performances under Jose Mourinho has seen him strongly linked with a return to the Premier League and even the club where it all started, Chelsea.
Now, two and three two years on, respectively, since Abraham and Tomori switched England for Italy, Chelsea are at risk of repeating their past mistakes under previous ownership. AC Milan are interested in signing Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea in the summer transfer window, football.london understands, with the Blues open to the midfielder leaving the club on loan.
However, reports in Italy suggest that Milan are keen on inserting a clause in the loan contract where they would have the option to make the deal permanent at a later date. Although, at this early stage of proceedings, a source has told football.london that Chelsea would not be willing for such an option to be included in a loan deal as they still view Chukwuemeka as a player with a potentially massive future.
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At this stage, it doesn't look like such mistakes will be repeated but Chukwuemeka needs to have a conversation with someone high up at the club this summer, regardless of if he leaves on loan or not, about what his future holds. Similarly to before Levi Colwill left on loan last summer, it's understood Chelsea held a positive meeting with the defender where they informed him how much of an asset he is to the club and how he will feature in their plans for years to come.
Incoming head coach Mauricio Pochettino has worked wonders with players who operate in similar positions to Chukwuemeka in the past. See a certain Dele Alli at Tottenham, for instance, and everyone involved will be hoping Chukwuemeka will be able to produce similar results in the coming years.
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