Tammy Abraham to Leeds: ‘Huge’ update today – ‘I know him inside out’
Leeds United are planning to be “all over” a deal to sign Tammy Abraham from Roma as he is expected to be made available come the end of the season.
That is according to former Man United and Aston Villa scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that they are looking to sign players to aid with the step up to Premier League football.
The 27-year-old’s experience in both the Italian and English top flight is seen as a “huge” asset for Leeds, while a cut-price deal may be on the cards.
As things stand, Leeds are top of the Championship with an eight-point gap separating them from the playoff places, and work has begun to prepare for promotion.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson told Football Insider that Leeds want to sign the Roma forward as they look to bolster Daniel Farke’s attacking options.
Meanwhile, Abraham is no longer part of Roma’s plans for the future and is believed to be keen on a return to the Premier League.
Both West Ham and Aston Villa wanted to sign Abraham in the summer, but were beaten to the deal as he moved on loan to Milan for the season.
Leeds United plot swoop for Roma striker Tammy Abraham
Robinson has backed Leeds to sign Abraham and Cameron Archer in an ambitious double-deal as a new striker has become a priority signing at Elland Road.
Brown, who was a senior scout at Villa while Abraham was there and has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United, insisted that Abraham is the standout option for Leeds ahead of the summer window.
“I had these battles over Tammy Abraham when I was at Villa,” he told Football Insider.
“We had him on loan from Chelsea and he scored around 26 goals that season and played a huge part in getting us promoted from the Championship.
“I knew what he could do and I knew his limitations, but Villa’s CEO at the time made the ridiculous decision that he didn’t want any more loan players.
“He was concerned about how much they would have to pay to sign these players permanently.
“As it played out anyway, Tammy Abraham wanted to go back to Chelsea and try his luck there.
“He played a few games for them but they wanted to move him on so he made the move to Italy.
“During that time, he’s been knocking on the door of the England squad occasionally and in general has made a good impression during his spell in Italy.
“He’s never quite put his stamp on being a top-class player, but he’s highly regarded.
“It doesn’t surprise me to see people like Leeds looking at making a move for him, and I hear he’d welcome a return to the Premier League.
“Signing players with Premier League experience is always a huge boost for promoted sides.
“So a player with Abraham’s experience in both England and Italy would be an excellent option.
“They want to sign a striker to help them make that step up into the Premier League and as far as the available options go, I think he stands out for them.
“Whether they can get a deal done ultimately will be down to whether he wants to make that move, but if he’s available on the cheap, I expect them to be all over it.”
Daniel Farke lines up new striker signing at Elland Road
Another striker who has been linked with the move to Leeds, alongside both Abraham and Archer, is Norwich’s U.S.A international Josh Sargent.
This comes as Patrick Bamford is likely to leave Leeds, while there have been question marks about Joel Piroe’s long-term role in the side.
However, Football Insider revealed on 1 March that Leeds want to sign a better striker than Sargent amid concerns about his ability to perform in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old has a strong relationship with Farke after the Leeds boss’ spell at Carrow Road, but is not believed to be at the top of the shortlist at Elland Road.
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