Aston Villa signing moves closer after club make key announcement
Tammy Abraham’s Villa return has moved a step closer after Besiktas confirmed they have now signed the striker from Roma.
The England international joined the Turkish club on a season-long loan which included an £11.2million obligation to buy clause.
In a statement, Besiktas confirmed the conditions of the clause had been met, meaning Abraham is now officially their player.
But he will be on their permanent books for just a matter of hours before joining Villa for a fee of around £18m.
Abraham flew to the UK on Friday night to undergo a medical and will re-join the club he helped win promotion to the Premier League in 2019, while on loan from Chelsea.
Teenage defender Yasin Ozcan is expected to join Besiktas as part of the agreement. Ozcan is currently on a season-long loan at Anderlecht.
The complicated nature of a deal and significant level of paperwork involved means an official announcement may not arrive until Tuesday at the earliest.
Speaking after Sunday’s 2-0 win at Newcastle, Villa boss Unai Emery said he was “hopeful” of completing the signing of Abraham, a player he has long admired.
Villa will also try to add another midfielder to their ranks before next Monday’s transfer deadline, following a tough January on the injury front.
Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn have both suffered knee injuries, with the former being ruled out for the rest of the season.
Villa are also assessing Youri Tielemans after he sustained an ankle injury in the victory at St James’s Park.
In better news, Ross Barkley is expected to return to training this week. Villa are next in action when they host RB Salzburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
