It has been a long and busy transfer window for Aston Villa, with Unai Emery still keen to get some business done ahead of Friday’s 11pm deadline.
The summer started with the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus, with deals that saw Tim Iroegbunam go to Everton and Omari Kellyman sign for Chelsea also crucial to Aston Villa complying with Premier League PSR.
Those departures were followed by Unai Emery sanctioning the £60 million sale of Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad as Villa turned a quick profit on their record signing.
It has not all been about outgoings, though, with Villa making seven signings and hoping to add at least one more in Lutsharel Geetruida before their summer business concludes.
One player that had looked destined to move on since January was Jhon Duran.
The Colombian allowed interest from Chelsea to unsettle him and behaved unprofessionally as he tried to manoeuvre an exit.
West Ham were one of the clubs heavily interested in Duran this summer, but the 20-year-old now looks set to stay at Villa Park after performing a U-turn shortly before scoring the winner for Villa against the Hammers.
West Ham now targeting former Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham
Duran did himself no favours with the part he played in fuelling rumours of an exit, at one point performing a West Ham gesture on Instagram Live when speculation was at its most rife.
However, having been handed the number nine shirt and with assurances over an increased role, Duran now looks happy to stay; for now at least.
That has seen West Ham turn their attention to another player who has led the line for Villa in Tammy Abraham.
That is according to Corriere della Sera via Sport Witness, who report that West Ham are ‘ready to sign’ Abraham ‘on a loan deal with an obligation to buy set at €22 million (£18.6m)’.
There is still some negotiation to be done regarding Abraham’s wages for the season on loan, with West Ham considering the 26-year-old’s salary of £3.8 million plus bonuses after tax to be high.
Abraham starred during Aston Villa loan spell
Had Villa sold Duran this summer then the club could well have revived their interest in Abraham, who spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Villa Park from Chelsea.
Abraham played a pivotal role in getting Villa to the Premier League as he scored 26 goals in 40 Championship games, including one in the play-offs.
Dean Smith was desperate to secure a return for the powerful centre-forward ahead of the Premier League, but Chelsea’s transfer ban meant the Blues were reliant on youth players to help see them through and Abraham was kept at Stamford Bridge.
The 11-cap England international enjoyed a fine start to life in Italy at Roma, scoring 27 goals and providing five assists in all competitions in 2021/22.
Injury kept the former Villa loanee out for the bulk of last season through injury, though, and he has now learned that Roman boss Daniele De Rossi has no intention of relying on him going forward.
West Ham may well be the beneficiaries of that decision but Emery will likely feel keeping a re-energised Duran is the better alternative.
