Serie A giants AS Roma are reportedly open to offers for star striker Tammy Abraham after an underwhelming start to the current season amid Aston Villa interest.
According to a report by Italian publication Calciomercato, AS Roma are ready to entertain offers for Aston Villa-linked striker Tammy Abraham at the end of the ongoing season.
The 25-year-old joined the Giallorossi last year in a deal worth around €40 million, eager to establish himself as a regular first-team player following a disappointing spell with Chelsea.
The Englishman took Italy by storm during his debut season, scoring 27 goals in 53 matches across all competitions and powering Roma to UEFA Europa Conference League glory with nine goals in the tournament. In addition, he netted 17 times and provided four assists in 37 Serie A games to help Roma to a fifth-place finish.
This season, however, has been frustrating for the English striker, who has only found the back of the net four times in 20 appearances in Serie A and Europa League action this season.
That slump in form also led to Abraham being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 25-year-old appeared to be a certainty after his exploits for Roma last season. But Newcastle’s in-form Callum Wilson was chosen instead. It would be unfair to entirely blame Abraham for Roma’s underperformance.
But he finds himself in the “vortex of negativity” and criticism in the Italian capital this season, and the Serie A giants are now open to a potential sale next summer. The report adds that enigmatic boss Jose Mourinho has given the player “words of comfort” to come good later down the line. But the tone has changed with the Special One now also facing baptism of fire.
Should the former Chelsea striker continue to misfire in front of goal, Mourinho would likely relegate him to the bench in favour of other options in Andrea Belotti and Ola Solbakken. And he could even give the green light to execute Abraham’s departure, with the English striker no longer considered to be an “immovable” commodity.
The report claims that the player is weighing up his options given that he’s cognizant of the Premier League’s interest in him. This comes as a big boost for Aston Villa, who want to pounce on Chelsea’s reluctance to trigger their buyback clause worth €75 million to bring the striker back to Villa Park next summer.
Recent reports have suggested the Aston Villa board are planning an ambitious move to sign an A-list forward in the upcoming window. Their current senior striker options, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have scored just six goals between them this season.
While things have not quite gone his way, Abraham remains a top-class striker who knows where the back of the net is. The 25-year-old English striker is the perfect, all-round modern centre forward. He can also operate as a target man due to his height, hold-up and link-up play to get more involved in build-up.
Tottenham Hotspur also fancy signing Abraham and would be a more attractive option for most players. At the same time though, Aston Villa could be a great project for someone like Abraham. It is much more likely that he will get more regular playing time at Villa Park than at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
