Exclusive: Big update on Newcastle bid to sign Fikayo Tomori this month
Chelsea would prefer to send Newcastle United target Fikayo Tomori out on loan abroad this month, Football Insider can reveal.
Newcastle have registered their interest in the England international and multiple Premier League clubs are keen.
A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Chelsea's preferred plan is an overseas loan for Tomori.
That is a major blow to Steve Bruce's hopes of sealing a deal in the current window.
The likes of Everton and Leeds United have previously made loan moves for Tomori.
After a breakout campaign last season, the 23-year-old has only played 45 minutes of Premier League football this season.
The Canada-born ace has only made one matchday squad in Chelsea's last 12 league games.
He was limited to 10 minutes of action in the Blues' 4-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup third-round at the weekend.
Last season, Tomori played 15 times in the league but only once in 2020 and has had opportunities further limited by the arrival of Thiago Silva in the summer.
Bruce's Newcastle side are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements as they seek to secure Premier League survival.
Club captain Jamaal Lascelles has not played in the league since he tested positive for coronavirus at the end of November.
Bruce revealed last month the 27-year-old and forward Allan Saint-Maximin are both suffering from the long-term effects of coronavirus.
Lascelles returned to action against Arsenal in the FA Cup third-round at the weekend but was substituted at half-time and was not in the matchday squad for yesterday's 1-0 defeat to bottom side Sheffield United.
It has meant midfielder Isaac Hayden has filled in Bruce's back five in recent weeks including at the Emirates.