- West Ham saw an opening bid of £15m for N’Golo Kante rejected by Al-Ittihad
- Tomori made 26 appearances in Serie A as AC Milan finished behind winners Inter
- Former Chelsea defender was on the verge of joining the Hammers on loan in 2020
West Ham are considering a move for AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori after their attempt to sign former Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante failed.
The Hammers, under new boss Julen Lopetegui, saw their shock £15million bid for the Al-Ittihad star rejected last week. Kante, 33, is said to be happy in Saudi Arabia but could be tempted by a return to the Premier League.
It is believed that Lopetegui wanted to sign the midfielder during his time at Real Madrid, but a deal never materialised.
A potential move to West Ham would end Kante’s stay in Saudi Arabia after he signed a two-year deal worth £172million with Al-Ittihad after leaving Chelsea when his contract expired in the summer of 2023.
Meanwhile, the London club are considering bringing in another former Blues star in Tomori, following his promising seasons in Serie A with the Rossoneri.
Al-Ittihad rejected West Ham’s opening bid of £15m for midfielder N’Golo Kante last week
Former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is of interest to the Hammers in this summer transfer window
The 26-year-old defender has made 142 appearances for Milan since his £24million transfer in 2021.
Tomori, who made five international appearances, was not considered for Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s Euro 2024 squad despite impressive performances in the Italian top flight.
He helped AC to the Serie A title in his debut season under former head coach Stefano Pioli.
Pioli left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season and was appointed Lille’s new manager, Paulo Fonseca.
Tomori, who also spent time on loan at Derby, Hull and Brighton in his youth years, admitted his role may be different under Fonseca.
“A lot is changing,” he said. “Of course, there is a new coach, we have new ideas and a good atmosphere. We are working hard and are enthusiastic now.”
West Ham’s interest in Tomori comes after the club almost made a loan move in 2020, but the defender turned down the chance to move to the club just minutes before the transfer window closed.
He said he had decided to stay at Stamford Bridge to further his development.
Tomori said in 2020 on the Chelsea Mike’d Up podcast: ‘I had a plan for this season, based on last season.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui hopes to bring in reinforcements for the new season
‘It’s clear that everything in football changes quickly, so I wanted to make sure that I thought carefully about the decision I made and that I did what was best for me.
‘In the end I decided to stay, to improve myself further, play some more games, gain some more experience and try to reach the level I reached last season.