Fikayo Tomori is close to renewing his contract at Chelsea after talks entered an advanced stage.
Frank Lampard has promoted a host of academy players from the club’s Cobham Training base, with Tomori one of those to have benefitted from the manager’s faith.
The 21-year-old defender was on loan under Lampard at Derby County last season, while he has also spent previous spells with Hull City and Brighton.
And having been promoted to the Blues’ first-team in the 2019-20 campaign, Tomori has made 16 appearances in all competitions for the top-four hopefuls.
Tomori will join Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Billy Gilmour and Jamie Cumming in having signed new deals under the new regime.
His performances have also seen him gain recognition at full international level, with Tomori earning his first cap for England in their 4-0 win over Kosovo.
The young defender is, however, out of his side’s must-win Champions League clash with Lille on Tuesday although his hip strain is understood not to be severe.
The contract renewal talks have been ongoing for months, with the centre-back due to earn a pay rise in line with his team-mates.
Tomori has been at Chelsea since the under-8 age group and he saw a potential loan move to Everton blocked in the summer after David Luiz was sold to Arsenal.
He has repaid the faith shown in him with some impressive displays and has built up a partnership with Kurt Zouma as the Blues contended with the absence of Toni Rudiger.
Like Tomori, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Tino Anjorin are thought to be in line to extend their deals in the coming months, while Willian has had contact with his representatives and the club over a new contract.
Chelsea’s promotion of academy products has been linked to Lampard’s appointment but also the transfer ban imposed on the club in the summer.
An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has seen that punishment halved, which allows the Blues to enter the transfer market again in January.
The likes of Jadon Sancho, Wilfried Zaha and Ben Chilwell are among the players on the club’s radar, while Marcos Alonso, Olivier Giroud and Pedro could be on the way out when the winter window opens.
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Chelsea are currently in fourth place in the Premier League and remain in a favourable position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.