Already on the verge of completing one swap in the striker department, Aston Villa are not done reconfiguring the position before the end of the transfer window.
They are set to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, with Ollie Watkins making a corresponding move to Al Hilal. Bodymoor Heath will be busy on Thursday, with Jackson due to undergo a medical and Watkins also bidding farewell to his teammates as he jets off to Saudi Arabia.
It has now emerged that another Villa striker is heading for the exit, with various outlets reporting Tammy Abraham is close to joining Ipswich Town on a straight loan for the 2026/27 season, having been deemed not to be part of Unai Emery’s plans.
Despite only joining in an £18m transfer from Besiktas January, the 28-year-old could not supplant Watkins and started only two Premier League games.
17-year-old Brian Madjo was selected over Abraham to start the Super Cup defeat to PSG earlier this month, which was telling of his place in the pecking order.
Villa have an exciting prospect on their hands in Madjo, and allowing Abraham to leave opens up the pathway for him to be the clear backup striker behind Jackson.
The club is seeking to replace Abraham in kind though, as they are reportedly pushing to sign AC Milan forward Rafael Leão on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.
The Portugal international has multiple options, with Turkish giants Galatasaray also in the picture. Villa are apparently confident Leão would prefer to join them, and reports from Gianluca Di Marzio claim Milan have strong proposals from both clubs, leaving it up to the player to decide.
However, John Townley of Birmingham Live claims Villa are still working to determine whether a deal is financially viable. The deal Galatasaray have reportedly agreed with Milan is around £38.5m, and the 27-year-old will also command big wages.
Still, it seems Villa are pushing, and if Leão chooses them, the deal could come together quickly.
Reading between the lines, this feels like Villa once again pushing the envelope and trying to stretch their finances as far as they can go, which is the world they are happy to live in, as Emery relentlessly tries to push the club forward.
There is a risk in paying a large sum for Leão. His wages will be significant and even at 27, there is a good chance they never recoup close to the amount they pay. While his talent is tantalising, he has struggled to produce as consistently as he is capable of.
However, he absolutely reeks of an Emery target. A player who has all the ability in the world and has shown it, but perhaps needs structure to help him hit those heights with regularity. This deal is likely being heavily driven by Villa’s manager.
During Emery’s tenure, Villa have been open to market opportunities like this. Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and now Leão. Players with serious pedigree who have lost their way or are the victim of a manager change at their current club.
It is fair to question whether Leão is a perfect fit. The thought all summer was that Villa needed a right winger with pace to stretch defences.
When Garnacho became available, they abandoned that plan for the time being and pivoted, with Emery pushing for the Argentinian, who most commonly plays on the left. Fitting him in would require a reshuffle of Emery’s system, but he wanted to do it.
Leão has also primarily been a left-winger during his career, although he does have some experience playing as a centre-forward, and should also have the skillset to be used as a support striker alongside Jackson.
Exactly how he will be deployed remains to be seen, but a bit like with Garnacho, this seems like Emery essentially saying: “Get me the player and I’ll figure it out”.
There is no doubt that Leão would be an extremely exciting signing for Villa and one of the bigger names they have ever lured to the club. He could help recreate some of the moments of magic that Morgan Rogers produced and would be a real coup if Villa managed to pull it off.
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