Aston Villa eyeing £40m Barkley partner who can be “one of the best”

Aston Villa have not yet completed their first signing of the summer but it’s clear that Ross Barkley will be plying his trade at Villa Park next season, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the deal’s on the cusp of completion.

Barkley made 24 appearances for Dean Smith’s Villa during the 2020/21 campaign, on loan from Chelsea, scoring three times and placing one assist, but failed to really nail down a spot and departed at the end of the term.

Since, the 30-year-old has aged like fine wine, producing a cultured and resurgent campaign with Luton Town over the past year, with Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson even claiming he was “not far off Player of the Season” for his efforts in the Premier League.

Unai Emery and Monchi have made a shrewd move here, and they look keen to swiftly repeat the trick with another former loanee.

Aston Villa lining up another former loan star

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa have been put on alert after AS Roma transfer-listed Tammy Abraham for £40m, with the Serie A side scrambling to meet financial rules and revamp their squad under Daniele De Rossi, who succeeded Jose Mourinho in January.

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are both named as suitors for a player who has proven himself a top-class goalscorer in the past, blighted this season by a ruinous ACL injury.

Villa will hope their past affinity with the England international holds sway in the proceedings to come, though whether any interested parties would meet the above-mentioned price tag is questionable.

Why Tammy Abraham would thrive with Ross Barkley

Abraham might have only played eight times this season, starting twice and scoring once, but he’s certainly enjoyed success in Italy, winning the Europa Conference League in his first season after scoring 27 goals in all competitions. Having enjoyed such fine feats, Abraham was predicted to become “one of the best in the world” by Roma skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Indeed, Abraham remarked that Mourinho had turned him into a “monster“, bagging nine times in the Conference League and demonstrating his dynamic style in the league, averaging one key pass and dribble and 5.2 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.

He’d previously spent a few seasons as Chelsea’s talisman before completing his £34m switch to Italy’s metropolis, but the first understanding of his prolific skill set emerged during his short-term stint at Villa Park, where his youthful exuberance fired the Lions back into the Premier League.

Languishing in the Championship for the second year, Abraham’s contribution proved pivotal, scoring 26 goals from 40 Championship matches. With such an impressive track record across multiple nations, both domestically and in European competition, it’s no surprise that Abraham has been dubbed a “goal machine” by ex-Manchester City striker Stephen Elliott.

By providing Villa Park with a goalscorer capable of rivalling Ollie Watkins – and one with such pedigree on the continent – Emery could score a real win, especially when considering the partnership that could be forged with Barkley.

As per FBref, the England international ranks among the top 11% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 16% for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, and it is this assortment of skills that would make such an impact off the shadow of the imposing No. 9.

Indeed, Barkley’s robust output and athletic prowess makes for a unique weapon, driving forward and beating opponents to unleash strikes and creative support both.

Given his creativity and willingness to advance into the danger area with such constancy, Abraham could find the perfect ammunition to rediscover his scoring touch back in his homeland.

Of course, Emery already yields one of the Premier League’s finest forwards in Watkins, but then, the dynamic Three Lions star could make excellent use of a strike partner cut from a more traditional mould.

Related

Aston Villa could sign their next Abraham in PL star who “causes panic”

This coveted target is likely to be sold this summer.