Derby County have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Fikayo Tomori, as Aston Villa have made an approach to sign the defender, according to a report by Football Insider.

The 21-year-old was one of the standout players for Derby in the Championship last season, after joining on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The centre-back was an important player for Frank Lampard's side and helped the team reach the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Villa.

Villa boss Dean Smith has identified Tomori as one of his top transfer targets for the summer, as he looks to build a team capable of competing in the Premier League next season.

The report states that Chelsea are prepared to sell the player for £12million and are reluctant to loan him out for another season.

Tomori admitted after the play-off final defeat to Villa that he would be open to a return to Derby next season and Lampard had hoped to extend his loan spell for another season.

The Verdict

This is disappointing news for Derby fans. Tomori was outstanding for the Rams last season and I'm sure Lampard would have loved to extend his loan for another year.

It seems that won't be possible now and there's no way Derby would be able to afford to sign him on a permanent transfer.

It seemed as though the defender would have been quite happy to spend another season at Pride Park and he would have had another important role to play next season, but it seems Darby will have to look elsewhere now.