Everton and Aston Villa target picks next move after 'long-term contract' offer as club close to transfer
Everton had been interested in former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham but Aston Villa are set to complete a deal, according to reports
Aston Villa are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Everton target Tammy Abraham with a long-term contract offering convincing the Englishman to make the move to the midlands.
The Toffees are in the market for a new striker this month with Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri high up on their list of targets. David Moyes has had long-standing admiration for the player, having been interested in signing him when he was manager of West Ham United.
A report from The Times has claimed that Everton were ‘pursuing’ a move for Abraham along with other Premier League clubs but Villa have offered the player a four-and-a-half year deal as they are now in pole position to sign him.
Abraham is on loan at Turkish club Besiktas from Serie A side AS Roma. However, Besiktas have trigged an obligation to buy him so Villa will need to convince the Turkish outfit to part ways with him.
The former Chelsea striker spent the 2018-19 season on loan at Villa, firing in 25 goals in 37 Championship games. His former club are leading the chase to sign him which could now force the Toffees to look elsewhere.
Reports in Turkey suggest that Everton have made a loan offer of £4.5 million to sign En-Nesyri that has been accepted by Fenerbahce. Since joining Istanbul-based outfit from Sevilla in 2024, he has scored 38 goals in 77 appearances.
Moyes only wants to sign players in January who can make an instant impact for his side.
“The big thing about January is you can bring players to fill and patch up but, really, you’d rather wait and keep your money up where you can make the buys when you think you’ve got a bit more time to do it,” said the Everton boss previously.
The Toffees are 12th in the Premier League table after 21 games. They are just three points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United and remain firmly in the mix for a European spot.
However, they have scored just 23 goals this season. Only one team from first down to 16th - Sunderland - has scored fewer and adding a new striker is something that would surely benefit David Moyes heading into the second half of the campaign.
Another name has emerged this week with West Ham's Callum Wilson being considered for a short-term deal. Wilson has the sort of pedigree that would make a difference to a team that is a good goalscorer away from securing European football.
He could be available on a free transfer too, as he’s in talks to terminate his deal at the London Stadium.