Devastating reason why Chelsea starlet had contract terminated after two games with club

Former Chelsea starlet Tariq Lamptey has had his contract terminated at Fiorentina for a devastating reason.

Lamptey, 25, joined Fiorentina for a fee of €6 million last summer after five years at Brighton and Hove Albion.

He had established himself as one of the top young attacking right-backs in England during his time with the Seagulls, and also ranked as one of the quickest players in the Premier League.

But he missed six months due to a knee injury in 2023, and would go on to make only 34 appearances in the league across his final two seasons with Brighton after being overtaken as first-choice by Joel Veltman.

Lamptey in action for Brighton against Newcastle in March 2025 (Image: Getty)

Lamptey made his debut for Fiorentina as an 88th-minute substitute during their 3-1 defeat to Napoli - part of what was a horror start to the campaign for the Italian side.

Fiorentina didn't win any of their first 15 matches and were rock bottom of the Serie A table until January, but have picked up in form to move clear of the relegation zone over the second half of the season.

As for Lamptey, the Ghana international would make his second appearance - and first start - during a 2-1 defeat to Como in September.

But he was withdrawn through injury after pulling up just 20 minutes into the match.

He was later diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and underwent successful surgery.

Lamptey was expected to miss at least six months of action, with Fiorentina describing the injury as a 'complex clinical picture' in a statement.

The 25-year-old shared photos of himself completing gym work in January, and he was expected to make a comeback at the end of February.

However, there has still be no sign of Lamptey in Fiorentina's squad over recent weeks, and the club announced on Monday that they had reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract early.

He will reportedly miss this summer's World Cup with Ghana, who have been drawn against England, Croatia and Panama in Group L.

Lamptey had initially agreed a five-year contract with the Italian club and, according to Capology, was earning around €44,000 per week.

Fiorentina have a number of other ex-Premier League players on their books, with David De Gea, Moise Kean, Manor Solomon and Jack Harrison.

Lamptey has already been removed from Fiorentina's first-team squad page on their website.