Arsenal must cough up £67.7million (€80m) if they want to sign AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham this season as Jose Mourinho aims to ‘scare away’ his suitors. Abraham has enjoyed a record-breaking season in Italy after leaving Chelsea last August in a £34m deal.
According to football.london, the 24-year-old’s staggering valuation will likely ward off his suitors in the summer transfer window. Chelsea must also pay the same fee if they want to trigger the buy-back clause included in his contract as he departed.
Abraham has registered 24 goals and five assists in 46 appearances under Mourinho this season. In March, the Englishman broke legendary striker Gabriel Batistuta’s record (21) for goals scored in a debut season for Roma, netting twice in a 3-0 derby win against Lazio.
His phenomenal form has sparked links with a Premier League return, and the Gunners are unsurprisingly involved ahead of inevitable attacking investment this summer. Mikel Arteta could sign more than one forward if he loses his second and third first-team strikers in 2022.
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Arsenal allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to terminate his contract in January and complete a move to Barcelona. It came shortly after the Gabon international lost his status as club captain after further discipline problems arose at the Emirates Stadium.
And Arteta could set to lose Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah on free transfers just months later, with both stars’ contracts expiring on June 30. If they depart, it would potentially leave Arsenal without a first-team striker just over a month before the season starts.
For that reason, the Gunners will be interested in starting their summer transfer business as early as possible. However, Abraham could be too challenging to lure back to London, given the hefty price tag above his head amid a sensational campaign.
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Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel might regret offloading the towering striker last summer and replacing him with Romelu Lukaku, who returned from Italy in a club-record £100m deal. But his first season back at Stamford Bridge hasn’t gone to plan as he has struggled to adapt to Tuchel’s style of play.
Lukaku’s tally of 12 goals this term is exactly half of Abraham’s total, and even Chelsea loanee Armando Broja has netted more in the Premier League than the Belgian. If Abraham continues his form in Italy under Mourinho, his value could propel further to a similar fee the Blues paid for Lukaku.
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