Chelsea to evaluate offers for both Antonio Rüdiger and Fikayo Tomori in January — report

One of the bigger stories of Chelsea’s summer transfer window involved the fates of Antonio Rüdiger and Fikayo Tomori, one of whom was expected to leave on loan after the arrival of Thiago Silva, but eventually neither went anywhere with last-minute moves collapsing on deadline day.

Unsurprisingly, there’s not been enough minutes to go around among the center backs, so that story is expected to get a sequel in January, as Chelsea once again attempt to trim a bloated squad. While Tomori appears to be the favorite to leave right now — he’s fallen completely out of favor while Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen provide backup duties for Silva and Kurt Zouma — we will apparently evaluate offers for both him and Rüdiger before making a decision, as per ESPN.

Tomori, whose contract runs through 2024, is supposedly still in Lampard’s long-term plans, it’s surely best for him to go out on loan, and develop elsewhere in the short-term. Lampard has spoken on the importance of rotation, especially in light of an even more congested schedule than usual, but it’s obvious that not everyone will get sufficient, or even any, playing time.

Tomori shouldn’t be short of suitors, with Newcastle United already linked and ESPN adding West Ham, whom Tomori rejected in the summer. He might be more receptive to a move across London this time around. The report also reinforces the (weak) rumors linking Rüdiger with Barcelona, with Chelsea apparently already informing intermediaries to sound out interested parties, although it’s unlikely that we would allow both players to depart.