Tammy Abraham is ‘close to a shock AC Milan move for £8.4m… with Roma striker part of Alexis Saelemaekers swap deal’

Former Chelsea star Tammy Abraham is reportedly close to joining Serie A side AC Milan from AS Roma.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Paulo Fonseca‘s team is set for a swap deal with the Giallorossi, with Alexis Saelemaekers leaving the Rossoneri.

The development comes after Abraham, who has been in the capital of Italy for the past three years, was unable to regain the confidence of his current manager in his abilities following a severe knee injury at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The former Chelsea striker featured in all of Roma’s friendly games during their pre-season campaign, scoring a goal in a 5-2 victory over Milan back in May.

However, he is now reported willing to join the Rossoneri, with his current side set to receive £8.4m and the Belgian winger Saelemaekers in the deal.

According to reports, the player is keen to a move after spending his last three years in Roma

According to the source, the deal remains to be negotiated between both clubs after Abraham and Saelemaekers agreed to the move.

The Englishman ended his 16-year association with Chelsea ahead of the 2022-23 season before joining Giallorossi with a £34million deal.

Jose Mourinho was particularly keen on signing the player following his 30 goals in 82 appearances for the Blues at the first-team level. Moreover, the Englishman faced a challenging situation due to the £97.5m return of Romelu Lukaku to Stamford Bridge.

Previously, Mail Sport reported that Abraham’s deal with Roma included a buy-back £68m clause requested by Chelsea, allowing the possibility of reacquiring the player from June 2023.

The English striker had an exceptional debut season at Stadio Olimpico, scoring a career-high 27 goals in 53 games and leading his team to victory in the Europa Conference League.

The Englishman ended his 16-year association with Chelsea in 2021 following a move to the capital of Italy

Abraham suffered a severe injury to his left knee during his second season with Roma, which led to a 10-month absence

However, speaking to Corriere Dello Sport in 2022, Abraham said: ‘The best decision of my life was coming here. No rush to get back into the Premier League. I want to score one more goal than last season.’

But his peak performance was followed by a serious injury to his left knee and a 10-month absence.

Returning to the field, Abraham expressed his confidence in the managerial skills of Daniele De Rossi to DAZN, saying: ‘He’s still a player deep down inside, and that is very important for us; we need someone who knows how to bring the best out of us and he does this so well.’

Now, the player will focus on earning a place in the starting XI of Roma’s rivals AC Milan, who were searching for a backup striker to newcomer Alvaro Morata throughout the transfer window.

In order to secure the deal, the 25-year-old Belgian Saelemaekers will join AS Roma after spending the previous term on loan at Bologna.

Abraham’s move could lead to a potential exit for former Real Madrid star Luka Jovic, who will face tough competition within the attacking line.

AC Milan was eager to strengthen their attacking lineup and had previously signed Alvaro Morata 

AC Milan would be the sixth team in the Englishman’s career, who previously featured for Roma, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Swansea and Bristol City.

The 26-year-old attacker made just 12 appearances for the Giallorossi last campaign, yet still managed to score a goal against Napoli in April.