Tammy Abraham appears to be moving closer to a return to Villa Park and further details of the transfer have emerged
Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist
11:33, 20 Jan 2026
Tammy Abraham is reportedly close to a move to Aston Villa(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Aston Villa officials have flown to Turkey to thrash out a deal for Tammy Abraham.
Nearly eight years since he arrived at Villa Park on loan from Chelsea and helped propel Villa back into the Premier League, Abraham could be on his way back. The English striker is at Besiktas, but reports from Turkey say Villa officials have flown over to try and negotiate a move.
With Donyell Malen departing the club, Villa boss Unai Emery – who recently said the club are not contenders for the top five – is desperate for another striker to provide competition for Ollie Watkins. According to Turkish media, Abraham may arrive for a bargain transfer fee.
Besiktas loaned Abraham from AS Roma and it is understood a clause in that deal to make the move permanent for just over £11m has been triggered. But Turkish outlet Hurriyet claim Villa officials flew out to Turkey to negotiate a move to sign Abraham and even watched him play in Besiktas’ away clash against Kayserispor.
Sabah also understand Besiktas would want just under £18m to sell Abraham to Villa, which represents a reasonable fee for an experienced, 28-year-old forward. It’s also been claimed Abraham has agreed personal terms on a four-and-a-half-year contract worth £4m per-season after tax.
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Besiktas are also understood to be looking for a replacement, with Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku reportedly on their radar. Villa fans will have many happy memories of the former England international Abraham’s time at the club.
He scored 26 goals in 46 games in the 2018/19 campaign which saw Villa gain promotion to the Premier League by beating Derby County in the play-offs. Abraham was then called back to Chelsea after Frank Lampard took over as manager at Stamford Bridge.
Abraham played a huge role in Villa’s promotion in 2019(Image: 2019 Sebastian Frej/MB Media)
The striker has since gone on to play for Roma and AC Milan, before his arrival at Besiktas. His arrival will surely be a huge boost to Emery, who made his desire to sign another forward crystal clear when speaking to the press last week.
He said: “I arrived here three-and-a-half years ago and we had Watkins and Ings. Ings left because he had offers and good deals with other clubs. In that moment, it was the same situation as now.
“He was performing well, he was a striker competing with Watkins, and he decided to leave. We signed Jhon Duran, and in two years he was progressing, adapting, performing, and competing with Watkins and getting numbers for the team.
Emery was furious after the 1-0 home loss to Everton(Image: 2026 Visionhaus)
“Last year we decided, because it is the same situation, that he would leave. We signed on loan Rashford and Malen as wingers or strikers, and now, after one year performing and helping us, Malen has left.
“We need the same situation we had the last three years: one player competing with Watkins. The priority is someone as a central striker, with the characteristics as a striker, and to compete with Watkins or maybe even play with him.
“Now, Malen has left and another player can help us with numbers in the squad.”
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