"Smart piece of business" – Chris Sutton urges Chelsea to re-sign £68 million-rated attacker
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has urged his erstwhile club to re-sign AS Roma star Tammy Abraham ahead of the upcoming season.
Abraham, 25, has emerged as one of the best finishers in the Serie A over the past season. He joined the Giallorossi from the Blues for a fee of around £34 million in the summer of 2021. Since then, he has helped the club lift the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League trophy.
A right-footed striker blessed with heading and shooting, the 11-cap England ace has been an important player for Jose Mourinho's outfit since last season. He has scored 34 goals and contributed 11 assists in 91 appearances for the three-time Italian league winners.
Speaking to Betting Sites, Sutton slammed Chelsea's decision to sell Abraham and claimed that his return is still probable. He said:
"Tammy is an out and out number nine and Chelsea decided to let him go. That was a bit strange, but of course, they expected [Romelu] Lukaku to come in and have a stormer which he didn't do. Buying Tammy back is one of those that I can see happening."
Urging the Blues to re-sign the Roma striker, Sutton continued:
"I think he's done pretty well at Roma. The criticism of Chelsea is that while they have lots of creative players, they don't actually have somebody to stick the ball in the net. So, I think £68 million would be a smart piece of business to bring Tammy back."
Abraham, who has a contract until June 2026 at the Stadio Olimpico, rose through the ranks at Chelsea after joining the club's academy in 2004. He registered 30 goals and contributed 12 assists in 82 matches for his boyhood club, helping them lift two trophies in the process.
Chelsea in race to sign teenager: Reports
According to SPORT, the Blues are set to provide fierce competition to Arsenal and Barcelona in the race to sign Athletico Paranaense wonderkid Vitor Roque. While the Blaugrana were considered to be the front-runners, they have fallen behind in their pursuit of the forward due to financial restrictions.
Roque, 18, has been touted as the next Brazilian teenage sensation due to his rise in stature of late. He shot to fame after registering six goals and an assist in eight South American U20 Championship appearances, helping his national team lift the trophy in Colombia.
So far, Roque has scored 10 goals in 40 matches for his boyhood club.