David Sullivan can right his summer blunder by reviving West Ham United’s interest in Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori amid doubt over his Stamford Bridge future.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, Chelsea are expected to listen to offers for Tomori and fellow outcast Antonio Rudiger in the mid-season market as Frank Lampard strives to streamline his defensive options.

The Blues currently boast five centre-halves following the summer arrival of Thiago Silva, joining Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen in competing for minutes in south west London under the former England international.

Chelsea were open to allowing Tomori to leave during the off-season but saw the 22-year-old reject a loan move to West Ham at the eleventh hour, having decided late on Deadline Day that he would improve more if he were to stay at Stamford Bridge.

The Irons had agreed a deal in principle with Chelsea for the one-time England international, featuring a £50,000 penalty clause that would have been triggered every time Tomori did not play under David Moyes.

West Ham remain interested in the centre-half’s availability and could revive their efforts in January, with Lampard keen to see the Blues product secure a loan move as he recognises the need for him to earn regular game time after awarding just 44 minutes in the Premier League this season.

Forget Dawson

Chelsea hoping to see Tomori leave on loan in January will offer West Ham co-owner and Chairman Sullivan the perfect opportunity to right his summer blunder and land the Lampard outcast, having seen Craig Dawson fail to make an impact at the London Stadium.

Sullivan acquired Dawson for Moyes’ plans following the closure of the international transfer market, bringing the 30-year-old in on a season-long loan featuring a £2m option to buy.

However, Moyes is yet to trust the Watford loanee, who is yet to make his Irons debut and played his only minutes of the campaign thus far during the Hornets’ EFL Cup Third Round defeat to League Two side Newport County in September.

Moyes is yet to even name Dawson in one of his 18-man Premier League matchday squads, instead favouring Issa Diop as his back-up centre-half since the Frenchman’s return from coronavirus.

Tomori has vastly more potential to rival Diop than Dawson can even imagine, and helped Chelsea to keep four clean sheets over 15 Premier League starts last term with 1.9 successful tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 2.8 clearances, 2.9 ground duels won, 2.3 aerial duels won and 67.1 accurate passes a game, per SofaScore.

The 22-year-old’s efforts at Stamford Bridge and time together at Derby County the season prior saw Lampard praise Tomori as a “great talent”, one which Moyes could benefit from in January.

AND in other news, David Sullivan is heading for another blunder in West Ham’s chase of an underwhelming £18m target.