Aston Villa have set their sights on a Premier League striker amid complicated negotiations over a January deal for Tammy Abraham, according to David Ornstein.
Villa have been stepping up their efforts to re-sign Abraham this week, with Villa officials and the player’s representatives watching the 28-year-old play in Istanbul on Monday night (Sky Sports).
The timing proved opportune, as Unai Emery’s side prepare to face Fenerbahçe in the Turkish capital on Thursday, allowing club representatives to assess Abraham firsthand during his current loan spell at Besiktas.
Reports have even suggested that the transfer was close to being finalised, marking a potential return to Villa Park for the striker who fired the club to Premier League promotion during a memorable loan spell from Chelsea six years ago.
Abraham has demonstrated his continued quality in Turkey, netting 13 goals in 26 matches across all competitions for Besiktas this season.
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Unai Emery’s side are eyeing a move.
Villa desperately need attacking reinforcements after selling Donyell Malen to Roma last week, leaving them overly reliant on Ollie Watkins as they compete across multiple fronts including the Premier League title race, FA Cup and European competition.
The Villans currently sit third in the table, just six points behind leaders Arsenal, and need a new number nine.
However, any deal for Abraham is complicated because he is on loan, with Besiktas needing to find a replacement before letting Abraham leave (Sky Sports).
The Turkish club holds an obligation to purchase Abraham for £11 million if certain conditions are met, creating a delicate negotiating situation between all three parties.
Turkish outlet Sabah reports Aston Villa have submitted a bid worth £15.5 million to secure his services, with Besiktas making a counteroffer by asking for £17 million or cash-plus-Evann Guessand in the deal (via The Hard Tackle).
The club are reportedly prepared to offer Abraham a four-and-a-half year deal too, with the England international indicating Villa is his preferred destination.
However, according to a breaking report from David Ornstein, the forward’s return to the Midlands is now hitting a bit of a speed bump.
Aston Villa eye Jean-Philippe Mateta as Abraham alternative
Due to the complex negotiations surrounding Abraham, Ornstein now says that Villa have expressed interest in signing Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta as an alternative.
He also claims that Palace are weighing up a move for Evan Guessand to go in the opposite direction, so there could be some kind of unofficial swap deal here potentially.
This semi backs up another report from TEAMtalk today, which also stated that Emery’s side are fans of Mateta.
Because there’s been no breakthrough in talks for Abraham, as per Ornstein, the Villans are casting their eyes on different options.
Mateta has managed just eight goals in 22 Premier League appearances for Palace this season, a significant drop from his prolific finish to the 2024/25 campaign, when he scored 17 in all competitions.
The French striker scores an average of 0.43 goals for every 90 minutes, taking 48 shots with only 20 on target for a shooting accuracy of 41.67 per cent (FootyStats).
Recent performances suggest he’s cooled off again a bit, despite leading Palace’s scoring charts, and Mateta’s overall output remains modest for Oliver Glasner’s side.
That being said, Mateta has been praised as a ‘big’ and ‘powerful’ striker, not to mention a ‘joy to watch’ by the likes of Troy Deeney.
His proven Premier League experience could also be a major asset to Emery.
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