Frank Lampard has confirmed that Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori could leave the club on loan during the January transfer window.
Tomori has found his first-team chances limited under Lampard this season - and has been linked in the media with the likes of Leeds United and Premier League rivals Newcastle.
The centre-back was given a rare outing as Chelsea eased past Morecambe in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
He came on for the last 10 minutes of the 4-0 victory at Stamford Bridge, replacing Kurt Zouma.
The arrival of the vastly experienced Thiago Silva on a free transfer in the summer transfer window saw Tomori drop down the Blues pecking order.
He apparently came close to joining West Ham United on loan - with Everton also said to be keen - but ended up staying at Chelsea to fight for his place.
However, he has managed only 244 minutes of action in all competitions so far in 2020-21, so Lampard could allow the 23-year-old to go out on loan in order to get more game time under his belt.
“The situation with Fikayo is open at the moment,” said Lampard after the Morecambe game.
“There is a possibility he could be going on loan to get games somewhere else. So that would have to be the solution for him and the club. That was part of my thinking of not starting him today.
“I gave him some minutes at the end but while we were looking at that I wanted to make sure it was the right thing for the club and for him and individually. So that’s why he didn’t start.
“But his attitude, even though he hasn’t played much recently, has been fantastic in training and in how he is.”
Tomori, who has one senior England cap to his name, has previously had spells on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City and Derby County.
