Aston Villa and West Ham United are set for a few battles off the pitch in the summer transfer window it seems.
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is thought to have the upper hand over Aston Villa manager Unai Emery in the race to sign Youssef En-Nesyri.
However, the Villans apparently seem set to hijack the Hammers’ summer swoop for Torino star Raoul Bellanova.
And now, yet another player appears to be in the crosshairs of both West Ham and Aston Villa.
Lopetegui and Emery are both believed to be on the hunt to sign a top-class centre-forward this summer, although our need for a proven goalscorer is far more urgent than Villa’s.
Michail Antonio absolutely cannot be our number one striker heading into the new season.
West Ham reportedly have someone in mind to come in a lead the line, but now Villa have joined us in the race…
Aston Villa and West Ham could go head-to-head for Tammy Abraham
The summer transfer window could see the two Premier League clubs battle it out for the signing of Tammy Abraham.
Il Romanista claim that Aston Villa have just entered the race to sign the former Chelsea man this summer – a player who Lopetegui allegedly wants to bring to the London Stadium.
Described as ‘unstoppable’ by Football Italia, Abraham can be absolutely unplayable when he’s on form.
He is an absolute handful for opposing defenders with his aerial ability, pace and goalscoring prowess.
However, his injury record is extremely concerning, and is something that will undoubtedly serve as a red flag for prospective buyers.
The 26-year-old has missed 301 days of football since rupturing his ACL when playing for Roma back in 2023 (Transfermarkt).
Not many footballers return from ACL injuries the same as they were before, and there is a good chance that Tammy would have lost his pace and explosiveness.
That said, he seemed to be in fine fettle physically when finishing the season with Roma, so he may well still have what it takes to make a big difference at the very highest level.
And it will be interesting to see whether West Ham or Aston Villa will be prepared to take the risk of spending £40 million on Tammy Abraham this summer.
If his fitness could be guaranteed for three or four years, I think £40 million would actually be a decent price to pay for the 26-year-old, but that obviously isn’t possible.
Villa or West Ham will have to take a risk on Tammy, if either club are to sign him this summer.
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