Aston Villa close to completing signing of Tammy Abraham | OneFootball

Aston Villa are close to completing the signing of striker Tammy Abraham (28) from Besiktas, with the England international expected to finalise an £18m move to Villa Park over the weekend, BBC Sport reports.

The 28-year-old has emerged as a key target for head coach Unai Emery, who is keen to add depth and goals to his attacking options following the departure of Donyell Malen to Roma. Abraham is viewed as an experienced forward capable of easing the burden on Ollie Watkins as Villa continue to compete on multiple fronts.

Besiktas signed Abraham on loan from Roma last summer, with an obligation to buy triggered earlier this season for a fee believed to be around £12m. That agreement has paved the way for Villa to negotiate directly with the Turkish club, with reports suggesting defender Yasin Ozcan could move in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Villa’s intent has been clear for some time. President of football operations Roberto Olabe was present in Turkey earlier this week to watch Abraham in action as Besiktas beat Kayserispor, underlining the club’s determination to conclude the transfer swiftly.

Abraham previously enjoyed a prolific spell at Villa during the 2018-19 season, scoring 25 goals to help secure promotion to the Premier League. His return would bring both familiarity and pedigree, shaped by trophy success and a record-breaking scoring run during his time in Serie A.

GFN | Finn Entwistle