Aston Villa and Tottenham fight to sign five-cap England star as Man Utd receive improved £46m offer

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are expected to battle it out to sign former AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori in the final weeks of the January transfer window.

Tomori rose to prominence in the Premier League with Chelsea after successful loan spells at Brighton, Hull City and Derby County at Championship level.

Blessed with excellent defensive awareness, speed, strength and great aerial ability, Tomori would make the step up to the Blues team during the 2019/20 season when Frank Lampard’s side achieved Champions League qualification against the odds despite the departure of Eden Hazard and a transfer embargo.

Tomori found it difficult to achieve regular football under Thomas Tuchel and was sent out on loan to AC Milan to gain experience in the same season that his parent club lifted the Champions League.

However, the following season after joining Milan on a permanent basis, he did achieve something that many of his team-mates didn’t manage at Stamford Bridge - a league title in 2021/22.

Tomori played 31 times during his first full season at the San Siro and formed part of the team which achieved a first league title since 2010/11. He also featured in the best defence in the league and was awarded a place in the Team of the Season.

The five-time England international has been a stalwart at the San Siro since his arrival but now finds his career at a crossroads after falling out of the first team lineup under new boss Sérgio Conceição.

TBR football understands that Tomori feels he has unfinished business in English football amid reports of a potential £25m move, but adds that Juventus are keen to try and make a rival move for the defender.

3AM verdict: Fikayo Tomori has been hugely impressive throughout the past four years since making the move to AC Milan and has been an integral part in helping the team rise back to the top of Italian football.

He is primarily a centre back by trade but is also quick and agile enough to do a strong job at full-back when called upon. A move for Tomori would give both Tottenham and Aston Villa a huge boost in their pursuits of Europe and at £25m he would likely be a steal.

Man Utd receive £46.5m offer for talented winger

Italian heavyweights Napoli are expected to make a new and improved offer to sign highly-rated Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho in the January transfer window.

TeamTalk understand Napoli have identified the Argentinian as their number one target to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after his January move to French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Napoli’s initial offer of £40m was rejected by the Red Devils but the three-time Italian champions are expected to return to the table with an improved £46.5m offer in the coming days.

Garnacho was dropped by Ruben Amorim for a number of important games in January, but returned to the starting line-up for Thursday’s 3-1 victory against basement side Southampton.

3AM Verdict: Manchester United are in a position where they will likely have to sell to buy in the January transfer window to avoid breaching PSR rules but should still do everything they can to keep Alejandro Garnacho on board.

The winger is already a Carabao Cup and FA Cup winner is just 20-years-old and has provided fans with plenty of memorable moments already including a goal against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium and a remarkable overhead kick against Everton.

Given his age, his potential, and Manchester United’s lack of attacking options amid uncertainty around Marcus Rashford it would be the wrong time to sell Garnacho at this stage and it is likely he will be worth significantly more in years to come.