Aston Villa are stepping up their efforts to sign Roma striker Tammy Abraham, who is on loan at Besiktas.

Villa officials and the player’s representatives watched the 28-year-old play in Istanbul on Monday night, with Unai Emery’s side set to play in the city against Fenerbahce on Thursday.

The club want to strengthen their squad, especially after selling Donyell Malen to Roma last week, but any deal for Abraham is complicated because he is on loan.

Besiktas would need to find a replacement before letting Abraham leave. He has scored 13 goals in 26 matches across all competitions for the Turkish side.

Other clubs, in the Premier League and in Europe, are also interested.

Abraham spent a hugely successful loan spell at Villa from Chelsea in the 2018/19 season when he scored 26 times in 40 appearances to help win promotion back to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.

The striker joined Roma in 2021 from Chelsea and has played 120 times, scoring 37 goals for the Serie A club. He had a loan spell at AC Milan last season before joining Besiktas this term.

Unai Emery said on Sunday his squad were not contenders to finish in the top five, even though they are third at the moment.

Villa’s high wage bill relative to their revenue means they have to be careful when it comes to spending in the transfer market.

UEFA fined Villa £9.5m in July last year for breaking their financial rules.

Villa missed out on signing Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid last week because they wanted a loan deal, whereas Tottenham Hotspur were willing to pay the £35m asking price.

Bailey returning to Villa after Roma loan cut short

Leon Bailey’s loan spell at Roma has been cut short and he is returning to Aston Villa, according to Sky in Italy.

The winger joined the Italian club in the summer in a deal that included a purchase option.

However, after making 11 appearances in all competitions, Bailey’s time in Rome has reached a premature end.

The Jamaica international is travelling back to England on Tuesday.