Aston Villa are on the verge of sealing a £18 million deal for Besiktas striker Tammy Abraham, with the England international expected to finalise the move this weekend after arriving in the UK.
Abraham has been a top target for Villa manager Unai Emery, who is eager to bolster his attacking options alongside Ollie Watkins following the recent sale of Donyell Malen to Roma.
The 28-year-old joined Besiktas on loan from Roma last summer, with the Turkish side holding an obligation to buy if certain performance targets were met.
Besiktas are reported to have triggered their purchase option for around £12 million, meaning Villa will cover the remaining transfer fee.
As part of the deal, Turkish reports indicate defender Yasin Ozcan, currently on loan at Anderlecht, could move to Besiktas from Villa. Villa’s president of football operations, Roberto Olabe, personally watched Abraham in action as Besiktas beat Kayserispor 1-0 on Monday.
Abraham made the switch to Roma from Chelsea in August 2021 for £34 million and quickly became a key player under Jose Mourinho. He featured 120 times for the Italian side and was instrumental in Roma’s 2021-22 Conference League triumph, scoring nine goals in 13 appearances.
However, following Mourinho’s dismissal in January 2024, Abraham’s standing in the squad declined, leading to a loan move to AC Milan.
His debut season in Serie A was historic, as his 17 league goals made him the highest-scoring English player in a single Serie A campaign. Across Italy, only David Platt and Gerry Hitchens have surpassed Abraham’s Serie A tally of 29 goals.
Abraham is no stranger to Villa Park, having spent the 2018-19 season on loan at the club, where his 25 goals helped the side return to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.
In separate news, Arsenal’s highly-rated midfielder Ethan Nwaneri has joined French giants Marseille on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 18-year-old made 12 appearances for the Gunners this season, including four starts, and scored once in the Carabao Cup.
Despite signing a long-term contract until 2030, Nwaneri has struggled to break into a midfield strengthened by £48.5 million signing Noni Madueke and £67 million in addition to Eberechi Eze.
Originally, both Arsenal and Nwaneri had hoped he would remain in north London to gain experience with a trophy-chasing squad. However, the chance to play regularly in a new league has persuaded the England Under-21 international to take on the French adventure.
Marseille currently sit third in Ligue 1, eight points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Last season, Nwaneri made 37 appearances and scored nine goals, marking him as one of England’s most promising young talents.
