Aston Villa tipped for stunning reunion with £34m striker amid rival Leeds and Everton ‘interest’
Aston Villa tipped for stunning reunion with £34m striker amid rival Leeds and Everton ‘interest’
A former Aston Villa striker has expressed his desire to return to the West Midlands, according to reports
Aston Villa are believed to be considering a move for former fan favourite Tammy Abraham as they scour the market to sign an understudy to top goalscorer Ollie Watkins.
The Villa Park side reluctantly decided to sell Colombian prodigy Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr for a reported figure of £71m in January, marking the club’s second most expensive sale of all time after the exit of Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m in 2021.
Duran scored 12 goals in 29 matches during the final six months of his stint as a Villa player and is credited with scoring crucial goals in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig. He was renowned for being an excellent impact player from the bench and his departure leaves the Villans slightly short in the striker department with Ollie Watkins being the club’s only out and out striker at the moment despite the goal-scoring talents of January additions Donyell Malen and Marcus Rashford who both prefer to play out wide.
Aston Villa consider move for Tammy Abraham
Football Insider understands Aston Villa are considering a move for Tammy Abraham to enhance their attacking options. However, Emery’s men face competition from Leeds United and West Ham, according to reports from the same outlet.
Abraham has reportedly told friends he is “very keen” to rejoin Aston Villa this summer to rejuvenate his career after an injury-hit spell in Italy. The 11-time England international was a roaring success during a loan spell from Chelsea in 2018/19 and registered an incredible 25 goals in 39 appearances to help his side clinch promotion via the Championship play-offs.
Abraham is remembered fondly from his time in the West Midlands and was heavily linked with a permanent move to the club after their promotion to the top-fight. However,then Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who was under a transfer embargo at the time, decided to unleash the striker into the first team as he scored an impressive 15 goals in 34 games.
Meanwhile, an additional report from Football Insider has claimed that West Ham have stepped up their own efforts to sign Abraham, as they ‘race to beat Leeds United’ to his signature. The Whites looks set to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the end of this season, and a statement signing such as the ex-Chelsea star could be exactly what they need to ensure their return to the English top tier is a prolonged one.
The forward’s impressive aerial ability, his speed and his attacking movements were all qualities which earned him recognition but in the following season as his form dipped and the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner were signed Abraham lost his place as a regular under Thomas Tuchel and was offloaded to AS Roma for a reported figure of £34m.
Abraham notably scored 27 league goals in his first season in the Italian capital and was hugely impressive for Jose Mourinho’s team as they lifted the Europa Conference League trophy. The following season, he netted nine league goals and helped Roma to a Europa League final.
Should Aston Villa make the move for Tammy Abraham?
Since the 2022/23 season, Abraham has struggled with a combination of form and fitness and has found the net just nine times across all competitions.
The former England international sustained a serious ACL injury which kept him out for almost the entirety of last season and at AC Milan he has struggled to find his feet with eight goals in 36 games although the bulk of those have come from the subs bench.
Abraham is under contract in the Italian capital until June 2027 but is reportedly seeking a new challenge at 27-years-of-age. Given his track record in English football, Abraham could be a useful back-up option to Watkins and a helpful signing given the amount of games that the team could play next term if they qualify for Europe.
However, Emery would be taking a risk given Abraham’s fitness record and should only move for the striker if he is available for significantly less than the £34m Roma spent three seasons ago.
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