Aston Villa have reportedly sounded out Chelsea for Tammy Abraham only to receive a negative response from the towering striker.
Abraham played a prominent role in helping Aston Villa return to the Premier League in 2018/19, firing in 26 goals in 40 Championship appearances.
The English starlet carried his momentum into 2019/20, shouldering the majority of the goal-scoring burden in west London.
The Stamford Bridge homegrown striker finished the last season as Chelsea’s top-scorer, having struck 18 goals in 50 outings across all competitions.
Although a return to Aston Villa may evoke some pleasant memories, Abraham is determined to stay and fancy his first-team chances under Frank Lampard next term.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the prolific forward has thanked Aston Villa for their bid, opting to fight for silverware with the Blues.
The arrivals of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have increased competition for places at Chelsea.
With Olivier Giroud already on the roster and Kai Havertz’s signing from Bayer Leverkusen a matter of when not if, Abraham could find regular first-team opportunities at a premium next year.
However, a loan move to Aston Villa in January is on the cards should the 22-year-old striker fail to secure desired game time in London by then.
Curiously, though, Abraham was only a back-up option for Brentford’s goal-scoring machine Ollie Watkins, who remains Villa’s top summer priority.
Valued at £25million by the Championship outfit, the 24-year-old produced an outstanding season, bagging 25 goals in 46 league matches in 2019/20.
But, the Lions have yet to make a breakthrough in almost a month-long negotiations with Brentford, which forced them to consider other options.
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Chelsea
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
