Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has reportedly asked to leave the club during the January transfer market.

Newcastle had shown an interest in taking the 23-year-old on loan until the end of the season. And Leeds have also been linked with Marcelo Bielsa seeing key defenders ruled out through injury.

That was before Andreas Christensen suffered a knee injury, and leaves Chelsea boss Frank Lampard short of defensive options.

Christensen has undergone scans on the injury suffered in the draw with Aston Villa.

And the club fear that will leave him sidelined for a period.

The club therefore called off Tomori’s January loan move to Newcastle.

Chelsea’s decision to retain him has, however, not changed his resolve to leave Stamford Bridge.

It is claimed that he is unhappy with his lack of playing time under manager Frank Lampard.

Tomori has played just 45 minutes of Premier League football this season, which is a stark contrast to the 15 games he played last term, including a run of 11 consecutive starts.

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, he wants to leave his boyhood club in search of regular playing time.

Chelsea have reportedly identified Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl as a possible replacement for Frank Lampard should the Englishman be sacked.

Thomas Tuchel, who is the most popular candidate to replace Lampard, is however overlooked by the west London club.

However according to the Daily Mail, while the Austrian gaffer is a potential option, he will not leave the Saints during the season.

It has also been claimed that RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel and Ralf Rangnick are also on the radar.

Former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegiro rounds up the five-man shortlist.

Lampard is under pressure at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea losing four out of their last six Premier League games.

Photo Credit: SouthamptonFC/Twitter

Kai Havertz’s old manager at Bayern Leverkusen, Peter Bosz, says he doesn’t see where the star fits into Frank Lampard’s plans.

The £70million man has failed to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge after being tried in a number of positions – despite previously lighting up the Bundesliga.

Bosz told The Athletic: “As for Kai, I can see why Chelsea brought him in but I cannot yet see the exact idea Frank Lampard has for him.

“It’s really good that he protects him in the press, though. But in the end, you must deliver, you must score goals and make goals. For a €100 million transfer you must play, and he isn’t.”

Sergio Romero has reportedly said his goodbyes to the staff at Manchester United as he nears the Old Trafford exit.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils shot-stopper has not been training at United’s Carrington complex for the past week.

The Argentine is instead believed to be training back in Buenos Aires, and is expected to move to Boca Juniors ahead of this summer’s Copa America.

Romero’s Red Devils contract expires at the end of the season.

United have the option to extend it for another season, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left the keeper out of his Premier League and Champions League squads this campaign.

This means that if Romero doesn’t complete a move to Boca this month he will likely be allowed to leave United on a free at the end of the season.

Former Premier League midfielder Trevor Sinclair thinks the prospect of Lionel Messi joining Manchester City may be the reason behind the failed attempts to get Kevin de Bruyne to sign a new deal.

City are desperate for the Belgian playmaker to extend his stay at the Etihad, with De Bruyne’s current contract expiring in 2023.

The 29-year-old rejected their first offer, however, and is said to believe he is worth a higher wage given his reputation as arguably the best player in the Premier League.

City have been strongly linked with a move for six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who is set to leave Barcelona at the end of the season.

And speaking to talkSPORT, Sinclair said: “De Bruyne hasn’t even got an agent, he’s acting for himself, which I think is fantastic,” Sinclair said.

“He knows his worth; if you don’t know your worth at 29-years old then you’ve got something wrong.

“But what he might’ve said is that he wants to be the top-paid player regardless of who comes in. That’s a problem for City if they’re serious about signing Messi.

“De Bruyne’s wages could go up an astronomical amount if he wants to be on bigger wages than Messi.”