Liverpool and Newcastle eye ex-Chelsea star as Frank Lampard hopes to play trump card | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly in a race with Newcastle United and Coventry City for a player Frank Lampard knows very well.

The Reds spent more than £400m on players last summer but it didn’t do them a whole lot of good as they finished fifth in their bid to defend their Premier League title.

That ultimately cost Arne Slot his job, with the Dutchman unable to strike a balance with his expensively assembled squad. This summer, the Reds have spent just under £90m on defender Jeremy Jacquet and winger Victor Munoz.

Centre-back Ronald Araujo is set to join on loan from Barcelona but it still feels Andoni Iraola‘s team need more defensive reinforcements, especially with Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, and Conor Bradley out injured.

Moreover, captain Virgil van Dijk is 35 now but still had one of the busiest seasons of his career in 2025-26. Ergo, the Netherlands international may need to sit out the odd game to manage his fitness.

One man who has been linked with a Liverpool switch is AC Milan’s Fikayo Tomori. The England defender has hugely enjoyed his five-year stay in Italy but that spell may be coming to an end.

The 28-year-old has been offered a way out of Milan on a couple of occasions but the former Chelsea man has resisted that interest.

But with Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Milan, it seems Tomori‘s time with the Italian giants has run out.

Premier League sides jostle for Fikayo Tomori

As per Quotidiano Sportivo, via Sport Witness, Tomori is the most likely Milan player to ‘pack his bags’ out of the Italian giants.

This comes after the former Derby County loanee was an unused substitute in Milan’s 3-0 pre-season loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

The Italian outlet adds that Coventry, Newcastle, and Liverpool are ‘knocking’ on the door in regards to signing the experienced campaigner.

Moreover, Gazzetta dello Sport claims that former Sporting CP manager Amorim is not convinced by Tomori as his ball-playing skills are not up to scratch.

Of all the clubs interested in Tomori, it would seem that newly-promoted Coventry would be the best bet for him.

Plus, he has worked with Sky Blues manager Lampard at Derby and Chelsea in the past, something the ex-midfielder could use as a trump card in this apparent transfer race.

At Newcastle he would have to compete with Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, and Dan Burn and at Liverpool, there would only be one slot available alongside Van Dijk.

Tomori is in the last year of his contract. Now he has to decide if he runs that down at Milan or ends his Italian job prematurely.