Aston Villa on cusp of £18.2m striker signing with medical imminent as complex three-way deal grants green light | OneFootball

Aston Villa have won the race to re‑sign Tammy Abraham after the striker rejected interest from a host of Premier League clubs to force through a permanent return to Villa Park, TEAMtalk understands.

Abraham will return to the Premier League after four and a half years away, having left Chelsea back in August 2021 to join Roma in a £34m (€40m) deal. But having dropped down Roma’s pecking order, the 11-times capped England striker was midway through a season-long loan with Besiktas, where he had scored 13 times in 26 appearances so far.

However, a return to Aston Villa – where Abraham played on loan during the 2018/19 Championship season – is now on the verge of getting over the line, with the 28-year-old now arriving in the Midlands for a medical after a £18.2m (€21m, $24.7m) transfer fee was agreed.

Villa have now finalised what sources describe as a complicated, multi‑club arrangement to land the 28‑year‑old, with Besiktas activating their obligation to buy from Roma in recent days to allow the move to progress.

Roma, for their part, were happy to green‑light the process as the funds will help cover their own obligation to sign Donyell Malen, who arrived from Villa earlier this month.

To smooth the Besiktas end of the deal, Villa agreed to send defender Yasin Ozcan the other way, clearing the final hurdle in negotiations.

The Midlands club pushed the agreement over the line after Abraham personally reaffirmed his desire to return to Villa Park, where he remains a hugely popular figure among supporters.

As TEAMtalk revealed back on January 11, Villa had been working behind the scenes to bring him home.

In securing his return, we can reveal that Abraham has turned down approaches from several Premier League sides in recent weeks…

Abraham snubbed four other Prem sides to secure Aston Villa return

Indeed, we understand Nottingham Forest made an enquiry before completing their move for Lorenzo Lucca, while Leeds United and Sunderland also registered interest, though neither of the pair followed up their initial enquiries with a firm offer.

Crystal Palace were another club to make contact, with the Eagles mindful they may yet need to replace Jean‑Philippe Mateta before the window closes.

However, we were told that Abraham’s camp made it clear throughout that Villa were his first choice, and the striker even agreed to make certain financial sacrifices from his Besiktas agreement to ensure the move could happen.

Villa sources have indicated that they hope to officially complete Abraham’s signing on Saturday, with the forward arriving in the Second City on Friday evening to finalise the last remaining details.

Trafford in; Martinez out for Villa? Striker door swings open for Tottenham

Elsewhere, we can reveal Unai Emery’s stance on losing Emiliano Martinez following confirmation that the goalkeeper is of interest to Inter Milan.

It’s not the first time the 33-year-old has flirted with a move elsewhere, and while he is a reliable and safe pair of hands in the Villa goal, he is not irreplaceable, and TEAMtalk sources can confirm the names of two high-calibre options they want as a replacement.

One of those, though, in James Trafford looks a tough deal to negotiate, with sources revealing his stance on quitting Manchester City, where he plays second fiddle to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

In other news, Villa’s decision to pursue a deal for Abraham has opened the door for Tottenham to move for a £35m striker signing who Villa had been previously chasing, sources can reveal.