Fikayo Tomori on Liverpool's Radar for Defensive Reinforcement
Richard Hughes is heading for the Anfield exit at the end of the summer window, bound for Al-Hilal and an abrupt end to a turbulent spell in charge of Liverpool’s recruitment.
Just over two years in the job have given him a bit of everything: a record-breaking window last season that reshaped the squad, and a handful of transfers that never got close to justifying the outlay. It’s been bold, occasionally brilliant, often questioned.
Now he has a few weeks left. If this is his farewell act, it needs a statement. Right now, it doesn’t feel like he’s delivered one.
Fikayo Tomori might change that in an instant.
Tomori on AC Milan’s exit list
Liverpool’s season unraveled at the back last year. Injuries, slumps in form, and a defence that creaked at the worst possible times dragged them into a messy run-in where Champions League qualification went down to the wire.
Arne Slot paid with his job. His short spell ended in dismissal, and Liverpool turned to Andoni Iraola to reset the project.
The appointment of the Spaniard already looks pivotal. Iraola’s ideas echo some of the intensity and front-foot principles that defined the Jurgen Klopp era, but he has also pushed hard to address the obvious weak spots. The signing of Ronald Araujo underlined that the club is finally listening to the head coach when it comes to defensive reinforcements.
Now the market has opened another door.
According to Fabrizio Romano, one of Liverpool’s long-term targets is officially up for sale. The timing feels almost scripted.
“Fikayo Tomori has been included into AC Milan exit list today; he's available on the market,” Romano reported, adding that the call came “following talks between Ruben Amorim and chairman Gerry Cardinale.”
For a club searching for reliability and depth at centre-back, that sentence will ring loudly at Kirkby.
A ready-made solution for Iraola’s back line
If Liverpool move decisively and finally land Fikayo Tomori, their defensive rebuild suddenly looks close to complete.
Tomori, now 28, has spent the prime years of his career in Serie A, learning the tactical rigour and positional discipline demanded at AC Milan. The Italian giants may be ready to move him on, but that doesn’t erase the qualities that made him a key figure there for so long.
He brings pace, recovery speed, and experience in high-pressure environments. Alongside Araujo, he would give Iraola a core of centre-backs capable of coping with both a high line and the physical grind of the Premier League. His fitness record is another tick: he tends to be available, and that alone would be a major upgrade on what Liverpool endured last season.
There is another crucial angle. Tomori counts as homegrown. In an era of tight squad registration rules and fine margins in European competition, that status is gold dust. It would allow Liverpool to strengthen the XI without complicating their squad balance.
That homegrown tag will also draw a crowd. Several English clubs are certain to circle, attracted by a defender in his peak years who fits the quota and knows the league. But Liverpool can offer Champions League football, a clear role in a rebuilt defence, and a project that still carries enormous pull.
For Hughes, it is the perfect stage. One last big deal. One last chance to leave behind something more than a mixed legacy and a list of what-ifs.
If Liverpool turn Tomori from long-term target into new signing, his departure to Al-Hilal will feel very different.
