Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham joins Roma on five-year contract

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Post created on 4:55 pm

 

Tammy Abraham has joined Roma from Chelsea on a five-year contract for £34m.

The 23-year-old England striker was Chelsea’s joint-top goalscorer with 12 in all competitions last season but found first-team opportunities limited following the arrival of head coach Thomas Tuchel in January.

Champions League winners Chelsea re-signed Romelu Lukaku for a club-record £97.5m from Inter Milan on Thursday.

Chelsea have a £68m buyback option on their academy graduate, which can be triggered in the summer of 2023, while Abraham will wear the No 9 shirt at Roma.

“You can sense when a club really wants you – and Roma made their interest clear immediately,” said Abraham.

“Roma is a club that deserves to be fighting for titles and trophies. I’ve had the experience of winning major trophies and I want to be in those competitions again – so I want to help this team to achieve that and get to the level where Roma should be.

“It’s a massive honour to be the No. 9 at this club and I just can’t wait to get started and to help the team.”

Abraham, an unused substitute in Chelsea’s Super Cup win against Villarreal in midweek and Premier League victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, underwent a medical in Rome on Sunday.

Roma, managed by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, open their Serie A campaign against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olympico on August 22.

Atalanta and Arsenal also expressed an interest in Abraham, but Chelsea’s preference was always to sell him to a foreign club.

Tiago Pinto, Roma’s general manager, said: “Despite still being very young, with a huge amount of potential to keep improving, Tammy has already played more than 200 games in his career and scored over 100 goals – and won a number of major trophies too.

“Choosing to leave the Premier League, and the club he grew up at, demonstrates very clearly just how much he believes in this opportunity to develop his own game and show what he can do at Roma.

“Bringing in players that have such a hunger and desire to play for our club is hugely important in helping to build the identity and sense of belonging that is a fundamental part of our overall vision for this team.”