West Ham United are reportedly the new front-runners in the race to sign out-of-favour Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham, with an offer expected imminently.
According to Football Insider, West Ham United are in pole position to sign Tammy Abraham from Chelsea with an offer between £30 million and £40 million considered enough to prise the striker away from Stamford Bridge. The Hammers are among select Premier League sides interested in the out-of-favour Blues’ frontman.
Thomas Tuchel’s appointment has brought Chelsea success, but has not been ideal for some of the existing players. The Blues relied a lot on Tammy Abraham in the last two seasons before the German’s appointment, and the striker has provided plenty of goals along the way.
In all competitions last term, Abraham finished as Chelsea’s joint top-scorer alongside Timo Werner. However, since Tuchel’s appointment, the English striker has been frozen out and not in the manager’s plans for this term. His omission from the finals of FA Cup and Champions League indicate that.
Chelsea’s search for an elite forward to lead the line has seen them being linked with a mega move for Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. The Blues will also have to make room in their frontline for such an arrival, so Abraham, alongside Olivier Giroud, are set to leave the club for the right price.
Chelsea were initially quoting as much as £40 million for Abraham. West Ham manager David Moyes once suggested his club could be out of the running for the striker for that amount. However, with Chelsea indicating they are willing to bring the price down, the Hammers would very much come back into the equation.
Leicester City were also reportedly in the race earlier, but their signing of Patson Daka from Red Bull Salzburg has seemingly ended their pursuit of the Chelsea forward. Ever since Aston Villa were being reported as the front-runners, and Abraham was open to the idea of a retur, having played for them before in their successful campaign to return to the Premier League.
However, with West Ham in the equation, Abraham would be more comfortable to remain in London than to shift base to Birmingham. Additionally, the Hammers can also offer the Chelsea outcast European football following their fantastic campaign last season to finish in the top six.
Moyes is extensively searching for a striker to cover or play alongside Michail Antonio, who has been a revelation since the appointment of the former Manchester United boss. West Ham have relied too much on Antonio to marshall the frontline, but Abraham’s physical profile will certainly suit the London club in their quest to be better even next term.
It is now understood that Chelsea will be willing to accept a price of £35 million or even £30 million initially, depending on how a deal is structured. Overall, West Ham could be the ideal destination for Abraham, given his extensive experience in the Premier League and his ability to get plenty of goals.
