Report: Aston Villa and West Ham have shown interest in England striker this summer

By Will Butcher

The Daily Mail have claimed that both Aston Villa and West Ham United have shown interest in raiding Chelsea for England striker Tammy Abraham this summer, with the Blues having brought Timo Werner to the club from RB Leipzig.

Abraham, 22, scored 18 goals in 47 Chelsea appearances last term but fell out of Frank Lampard’s starting line-up due to the explosive form of Olivier Giroud. Now, he has been pushed down the pecking order even further following Werner’s arrival.

The four-time England international had managed just 11 minutes of action this season before starting against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup – in which he netted his first of the season and laid on two assists, with Kai Havertz scoring a hat-trick.

The report states that Villa asked about signing Abraham earlier this summer – with the player a favourite of Villa supporters after he scored 26 goals while on loan during 2018-19. West Ham have also show interest.

However, Chelsea are hell-bent on bringing Declan Rice back to Stamford Bridge and West Ham – while keen on Abraham – are ready to pull out of a move to sign the striker if it means he is used in a deal for Rice.

(Photo by Adam Fradgley – AMA/Getty Images)

TBR’s view – Which club needs Abraham most?

It is clear Villa no longer need Abraham, even if he would still be a top signing for Dean Smith’s side. That is because Villa have lured Ollie Watkins to the club from Brentford, while also boasting Wesley in reserve.

West Ham are in need of a striker to relieve the pressure on Michail Antonio – though Seb Haller is impressing in the two Carabao Cup starts he has made, scoring four goals. West Ham need him more, but he is hardly a priority for the Hammers.

(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)