There were several reports last summer suggesting that Tammy Abraham was close to signing for Aston Villa from Roma.
The striker picked up an ACL injury in June but is said to be closing in on a return to action with January being muted for a possible return.
Abraham was a huge fan favourite during his loan spell at Aston Villa scoring 26 goals in 40 appearances helping them to secure promotion back to the Premier League.
He then returned to Chelsea and had a fairly decent season scoring 18 goals in 47 appearances. He fell out of favour the following season but still managed an impressive 12 goals in 32 appearances before linking up with Jose Mourinho in Roma for a fee said to be worth £34 million.
Similar to his time with Chelsea, he had an impressive first season scoring 27 goals in his first season but his tally dried up in his follow-up campaign finding the net just 9 times.
January transfer window
The January transfer window is right around the corner so it is no real surprise that rumours are starting to surface.
Italian outfit Calciomercato is claiming that Roma is aware that his price tag will have dropped but is still looking to offload with several clubs asking about the striker.
Aston Villa are said to still be interested as well as Brentford, West Ham, Fulham and Chelsea. The ideal situation would involve a swap deal for Romalu Lakaku with Chelsea.
I have never been one for going back and believe the past is sometimes left in the past but if reports that we were close to signing him in the summer are true, it would suggest that the current management is interested in Abraham.
It’s still very early and Villa will have to think about their FFP commitments, just as every other side will but I am sure this is just the start of what will be a very busy January in the media where Aston Villa are concerned.