Departing Chelsea star eyed by former club after prior major success

Giroud.Abraham.Chelsea.TEAMtalk

A former club where a Chelsea forward previously made a huge impact have been handed a second opportunity to bring the star on board.

Chelsea have been fully vindicated in their decision to axe club legend Frank Lampard from the managerial hotseat. Thomas Tuchel took the reins, and has since guided the Blues to the FA Cup final and Champions League semi-final stage.


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Chelsea were the major player in last summer’s transfer window. The club forked out almost a quarter of a billion pounds on new recruits.

Nevertheless, with Tuchel’s impact so immediate, the German is expected to be given license to bring his own new faces through the door this summer.

One position that could see player turnover is in the forwards. Timo Werner has played with energy and drive, but has struggled in front of goal since his arrival.

Olivier Giroud remains a potent weapon from the bench. But even the experienced Frenchman has seen his gametime severely restricted in recent months.

The player who has suffered most, however, is Tammy Abraham. The Cobham graduate has amassed just 68 minutes of league action since February amid ankle injury issues and falling down the pecking order.

A TEAMtalk exclusive recently detailed one major reason why the hitman could be forced to remain at Stamford Bridge despite his reduced role.

That has not stopped the vultures from circling, however, with West Ham reportedly interested in the player Chelsea will consider offers of around the £40m mark.

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Jordan Simpson is back with your daily dose of transfer gossip.

 

Now, according to the Mirror, Abraham’s former club Aston Villa could look to muscle in on a move.

They report that Villa are ‘monitoring’ the situation after being alerted to Chelsea’s willingness to sell.

Abraham was a key performer while on loan at Villa Park during their promotion-winning campaign of 2018-19. The Blue comfortably led the club’s top scorers charts that season, notching 25 goals in just 37 outings.

Villa reportedly ‘explored’ the idea of signing Abraham on a permanent deal upon their return to the top flight. However, their approach was rebuffed by Chelsea’s lack of desire to sell at the time.

The latest developments have now handed Dean Smith’s side a second opportunity.

 

Double exit to facilitate Chelsea acquisition

Alfonso Pedraza TEAMtalk

Meanwhile, Chelsea are hoping to drive down the price of a key target this summer, as Tuchel aims to shuffle his left-back options, claims a report.

The German coach is well stocked at left-back with Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri his three options. England man Chilwell and Alonso have been Tuchel’s preferred personnel. Both have played more as wing-backs in Tuchel’s three-at-the back formation.

However, Alonso looks likely to be put up for sale this summer. Furthermore, Emerson seems destined to leave after being frozen out.

That will leave Chelsea looking for a left-footed option and La Razon, via Sport Witness, say the Blues have identified Villarreal’s Alfonso Pedraza as a target.

Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia is looking to negotiate a deal for the player.

The player has a €35m release clause and is under contract until 2025, leaving Villarreal in a strong position. Still, the report claims Chelsea aim to drive down the price tag.

They aim to use the proceeds from the sales of Alonso and Emerson to pay for Pedraza. However, they will face strong competition from Barcelona.

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