Chelsea have the option to re-sign their former striker Tammy Abraham from AS Roma due to a buyback clause in his contract.
That is according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who shared that insight in his latest Substack column with Caught Offside.
What’s the word?
The Italian stated that Chelsea can indeed activate an €80m (£71.3m) buyback clause for the 24-year-old from next summer, although whether or not they do so remains to be seen, with Romano stating that the player is happy in Rome under Jose Mourinho.
Taking to his Caught Offside column, the journalist said: “Yes, it’s true that Chelsea have €80m buy-back clause for Tammy Abraham next summer but again, Tammy is happy at Roma right now and there are no talks or negotiations with any clubs.
“It’s really important to mention that he’s happy there with Jose Mourinho as manager now – the Portuguese has given him a chance to shine and it’s been an important step for him in his career, so we will see in the next months or years about a Premier League return.”
Might not be worth paying
Chelsea fans may have mixed feelings about this.
It would not be the first time that the club have toyed with the idea of bringing back one of their former strikers, with Romelu Lukaku’s return to the club last year not proving especially fruitful as the Belgian is now back with Inter Milan on loan.
Abraham’s scenario could be different, although it would depend on the 24-year-old’s form for the west London club to justify paying such an extortionate fee.
Last season saw Mourinho’s star striker hit the ground running in Serie A, with 21 goal contributions in the form of 17 goals and four assists earning him a recall to the England squad. He has not been able to hit the same heights so far this term, though, with just two goals and a solitary assist to his name in seven league appearances.
The 24-year-old will need to rediscover his form of 2021/22 if he is to tempt Todd Boehly into biting at his release clause next summer.
Abraham would certainly represent a long-term option for Chelsea given that he is still relatively young, and you could envisage Graham Potter getting the best out of a striker with his sort of profile.
If he does want a return to the Premier League club, though, the England international may need to rediscover his goalscoring touch once more, as otherwise the Blues surely won’t stump up £70m+.
