England U21 star of Nigerian descent, Fikayo Tomori has distanced himself from speculation linking him with a return to parent club Chelsea in the summer, having spent the entirety of the 2018-2019 campaign on loan at Derby County.

With Chelsea slapped with a two-window transfer ban as a result of malpractice with regards to signing underage players, there has been talk that the central defender may be handed first team opportunities next season.

Tomori was a key player for Derby County in the recently concluded season, helping them reach the final of the Championship play-off and winning the Player of the Year award.

Asked if he would think about a second stint at Derby County, Tomori told BBC East Midlands Sport : ''Of course. I have loved it. I grew so much as a player. Derby is such a great club.

''The manager has shown me a lot of confidence playing me in a lot of games. I have nothing but good words to say about Derby, the club, the fans and my team-mates.

"I am really proud. We are disappointed and we are hurting, but we had such a fantastic season. Even though we lost, we still had a lot of good moments to look back on and cherish.

"I am not really thinking about Chelsea at the moment but we will see when the new season comes''.

Tomori is the second most-used player by Frank Lampard , making 47 appearances (46 as a starter) in the Championship.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : dcfc.co.uk