Exclusive: Chelsea watch on as striker plans to follow Mourinho out of Roma; Brentford to rival Aston Villa for signature

Jose Mourinho is expected to leave Roma at the end of the season after three years in charge and Tammy Abraham could follow him out of the exit door for a Premier League return, TEAMtalk understands.

Mourinho’s spell with Roma brought a UEFA trophy to the club for the very first time, with the Europa Conference League secured in 2022, and a place in the final of last season’s Europa League.

However, the capital side’s form has been indifferent this season and the legendary coach is set to leave once his contract expires.

The departure of the Portuguese manger will usher in a new era in Rome, and it is expected that several players will follow him out the door.

One of those heading for the exit is England international Tammy Abraham, who is keen on a return to the Premier League and who loves playing under Mourinho. Sources close to the club state that the ex-Chelsea forward would be happy to call time on Italy next summer and return to England.

Chelsea have always kept an eye on the progress of the 26-year-old and there could be a solution that sees him return to his former club. Roma are keen to sign Romelu Lukaku on a permanent basis once his loan deal ends and Abraham is open to being involved in a potential swap.

Despite previous reports, the London side have never been close to bringing their youth product back after selling him to the Serie A side in the summer of 2021. But that could change.

Also, several Premier League sides have got the Giallorossi striker on their lists for the 2024 summer transfer window.

Brentford battle Aston Villa for Abraham

Sources close to Brentford state that the Bees have Abraham down as a potential replacement for Ivan Toney who will leave the club next year, most likely in the January transfer window with Arsenal at the front of the queue to sign him.

Brentford have watched Abraham on multiple occasions and believe he could be a good fit to replace the outgoing Toney.

However, they are not alone as Aston Villa are also big fans of a player they had on loan from Chelsea in the 2018-19 season and have Abraham lined up as an option should they lose the in-form Ollie Watkins in the coming months.

Unai Emery is understood to be a huge fan and Villa are better placed financially to do a deal that would suit both parties. Roma will be looking for close to £45million for the forward, who has two and a half years left of a five-year deal.

A move in January is unlikely to happen for Abraham as he recovers from a long-term cruciate knee ligament injury that he picked up in June and he is not expected to be playing until February next year. His prognosis is ahead of schedule, however, and he is already training with a ball at his feet.

Abraham has missed a total of 34 games and been out of action for 210 days after sustaining the injury on the final day of last season in a 2-1 victory over Spezia.

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