Aston Villa reportedly harbour genuine hopes of convincing Chelsea to let them take out-of-sorts striker Tammy Abraham to Birmingham.
As reported by The Telegraph, the 23-year-old forward features towards the top of Dean Smith’s shortlist, with the Blues holding out for a sizeable £40 million price tag.
Abraham has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard in the dugout back in January.
Although the English marksman played a prominent role under the previous manager, his game time has dwindled on the back of Tuchel’s arrival.
Despite being handed just 83 minutes of top-flight action in the second half of the season, Abraham finished the 2020/21 season as Chelsea’s joint-top goalscorer.
Unfortunately, it was not enough to convince Tuchel to play him instead of high-cost additions, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.
As a result, Abraham is on the verge of waving goodbye to Chelsea, with Villa and several other Premier League clubs waiting in the wings.
Villa are particularly interested in wrapping up a deal with the London outfit, considering they have fond memories of the Englishman’s previous spell with the club.
Abraham excelled during a season-long loan in the Midlands back in 2018/19, completing the campaign as the club’s top scorer with 26 goals.
After playing a pivotal role in Villa’s return to England’s top-flight, Smith is keen to bring him back to the club this summer.
Villa already have Ollie Watkins to lead the line, but Wesley Moraes’ long-term injury left them with no cover.
Abraham is their preferred option, but it will take a substantial financial sacrifice to convince Chelsea to green-light the move.
However, Jack Grealish’s anticipated big-money move to Manchester City could help Villa raise funds for new signings.
