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Aston Villa to seal Abraham signing in ‘days’ as Emery responds to Gallagher blow
Aston Villa are now expected to seal an imminent January signing as Unai Emery and co bounce back emphatically from their Conor Gallagher mishap.
Tottenham hijack Villa for Gallagher after ‘verbal’ Atlético agreement
The Premier League title-chasing Villans were dealt a blow in their pursuit of Gallagher earlier this week after Tottenham hijacked their proposed deal, which they had already verbally agreed.
The 25-year-old was believed to be very keen on the idea of a move to the Midlands, just over two years after he departed boyhood club Chelsea for La Liga.
However, in a stunning late twist, Thomas Frank’s struggling Spurs side ended up winning the race for his signature instead, after offering Atlético around £34 million to take Gallagher off their hands permanently.
Villa, perhaps due to their pretty well-known PSR struggles compared to the traditional ‘big six’, ultimately couldn’t match that offer and promptly left the race.
It leaves Emery still on the lookout for a box-to-box midfielder who can genuinely improve their engine room, with some reports suggesting the tactician has personally set his sights on Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos as a direct alternative (Sports Boom).
£125k-per-week star keen to join Aston Villa instead of Conor Gallagher
They may not lose a race this time.
Emery knows Ceballos well from their time together at Arsenal, and the 29-year-old’s lack of consistent game time could make this one to watch this month.
Further forward, Donyell Malen’s imminent and surprise Villa exit to Roma has opened the door for NSWE to bring in another striker.
The striker made 29 appearances for Villa this season and chipped in with some vital goals, but the Dutchman’s Serie A move means that Emery has space to bring in Tammy Abraham.
The 28-year-old, who’s currently on loan at Besiktas from Roma, has already triggered the obligation to buy clause in that deal (The Athletic), which effectively means he is the Turkish Süper Lig side’s player.
Villa are still keen to strike a reunion with Abraham this month to bolster their striker options and replace Malen, with Turkish newspaper Turkiye Gazetesi sharing a major update on the matter today.
Aston Villa to sign Tammy Abraham in ‘days’ after Donyell Malen exit
In sharp response to missing out on Gallagher and offloading Malen, it is now believed that Villa are expected to seal Abraham’s signing ‘within a few days’.
According to Turkiye Gazetesi, negotiations are ongoing over a deal to make the £125,000-per-week forward Emery’s second striker arrival of the window after Brian Madjo.
The outlet also reports that Besiktas boss Sergen Yalçın has personally given the greenlight for Abraham to leave for Villa, provided the Turkish giants bring in an adequate replacement.
The Englishman has been a key player for them this campaign, racking up 12 goals and three assists in all competitions, and has already endeared himself to the Villa faithful before.
Abraham, during his last spell at the club in 2018/2019, fired home 26 goals in 40 appearances for Villa and proved pivotal to their promotion back to the Premier League.
Aston Villa keen on “unbelievable” midfielder who’s “like prime Roy Keane”
Villa are eyeing Conor Gallagher alternatives.
