Chelsea are reportedly poised to accept an £18 million offer for Tammy Abraham, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, from Premier League rivals Wolves.
Chelsea are set to cut short academy graduate Tammy Abraham’s loan spell with EFL Championship outfit Aston Villa, as they are on the verge of agreeing an £18 million fee for the striker’s permanent transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, reports The Sun.
The 21-year-old centre-forward is regarded as one of the most talented players to have come through the youth ranks at Chelsea in recent years.
Having made his first-team debut for the Blues back in May 2016, Abraham spent the next season away on loan at Bristol City and enjoyed immense success but failed to reach those heights with Swansea City in 2017-18.
It was, however, believed that Abraham would be given a chance to stake a claim for a first-team spot at Stamford Bridge in the 2018-19 season under Maurizio Sarri. But, after a solitary substitute appearance for Chelsea in the FA Community Shield, the Englishman was once again shipped out on loan to Aston Villa, where he has thrived.
In 20 matches in the English second division with the Midlands’ outfit, Abraham has netted 16 times and is the joint top-scorer in the competition, along with Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp. The Chelsea loanee’s exploits haven’t gone unnoticed as a number of clubs have cast admiring glances towards the striker.
However, Wolves seem to have acted swiftly to try and secure the 21-year-old’s signing. The newly-promoted Premier League side have made a solid start to the season, but are in need of a backup for first-choice striker Raul Jimenez, with last season’s second highest scorer Leo Bonatini struggling for form.
To that end, they have launched an £18 million bid to sign the two-time capped England international. Wolves are now hoping to conclude a deal and agree personal terms with the striker by the end of the week.
Abraham is believed to be on a salary of £55,000-a-week plus bonuses at Aston Villa currently. However, the centre-forward is attracted to the possibility of a return to top-flight football, more so considering that Wolves are looking to push for a European berth.
Abraham is contracted with Chelsea till the summer of 2022. The Blues themselves are in search of a striker in the January transfer window, with Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud struggling for form. However, it seems like Sarri does not deem the 21-year-old Englishman fit to thrive in his system at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have already made waves in the ongoing window, having signed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund. Having spent heavily to secure the USMNT international’s transfer, the West Londoners could use the proceeds from Abraham’s sale to partially fund a move for a new striker that Sarri desires to bring in.
