Abraham Deal Nearing Completion as Villa Cast Net Further Afield

Aston Villa are on the verge of welcoming Tammy Abraham back to Villa Park after striking a verbal agreement with Besiktas, with formalities expected to commence within the next day or so.

The third-placed Midlands club have tabled an offer comprising €21m plus 19-year-old midfielder Yasin Ozcan, whom they acquired from Kasımpasa twelve months ago. Turkish journalist Sercan Dikme revealed the package is now seriously under consideration, with the finer points currently being ironed out between the two clubs.

Transfer specialist Ben Jacobs subsequently confirmed that Abraham has already committed to the switch and that a reunion with the club where he spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan—netting 26 goals in the process—appears imminent.

The striker, who joined the Turkish outfit on loan with an obligation to buy last summer, represents precisely the backup option Unai Emery's side require to support England international Ollie Watkins. With Villa currently seven points adrift of Arsenal at the summit, January reinforcements could prove crucial in their bid to mount a genuine title challenge.

However, Villa are clearly hedging their bets. Should negotiations with Besiktas falter, Fenerbahce's Youssef En-Nesyri has emerged as a potential alternative. Fabrizio Romano reported that Villa have made contact with the Egyptian striker within the past 24 hours, though Napoli and Juventus remain interested parties.

The club are also casting their gaze towards Paris Saint-Germain, where Goncalo Ramos has fallen further down the pecking order under Luis Enrique's stewardship. The Portuguese forward has managed six goals in 24 league and Champions League outings this term, predominantly operating from the bench, yet boasts a respectable tally of 13 in 34 games last season.

Duncan Castles has indicated that Ramos possesses both the pedigree and the ambition to succeed in English football. However, PSG are proving reluctant to negotiate. The French club are determined to maintain squad stability through the remainder of the campaign, conscious that securing a replacement of comparable calibre would prove extraordinarily difficult at this juncture. Though PSG's recruitment apparatus typically operates with meticulous forward planning and potential successors are already identified, the timing simply doesn't permit an exit.

One intriguing subplot: Emery and Ramos share the same agent, a detail that could potentially smooth the path should Villa's resolve harden on this front.