Chelsea could scupper Man Utd's pursuit of 'unbelievable' Serie A striker

Chelsea could scupper Manchester United’s pursuit of Tammy Abraham, according to a fresh report.

United were on an 11-game unbeaten run and emboldened after winning the Carabao Cup, their first trophy in six years, when they travelled to Anfield to take on bitter rivals Liverpool.

However, they returned home empty-handed, having been dealt their heaviest competitive defeat since 1931.

Liverpool stunned the football world by beating United 7-0, courtesy of a Mohamed Salah brace, and a pair of goals from both Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo. Roberto Firmino then netted a seventh, just days after it emerged he would leave the club in the summer.

United’s January signing Wout Weghorst was one of several United players criticised for Sunday’s performance. Indeed, Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes insisted the Netherlands international was not good enough to play for Erik ten Hag’s side.

And while the club have been tipped to dip into the market this summer, it appears that their striker search could be scuppered by Chelsea.

Man Utd in for Abraham?

The Athletic claim United want to sign Abraham from Roma, and have had their scouts in regular attendance at the Serie A side’s games this term.

However, Chelsea reportedly have first refusal on the striker, with Roma obliged to inform them if someone comes in and matches the £70million buy-back clause in his contract.

The 25-year-old, who was once described by Jack Grealish as “unbelievable” allegedly continues to attract interest from several English teams.

The publication claims Chelsea retain a long-standing interest in Abraham, who is a product of the Blues academy. Such interest has not changed since the takeover last year or the player’s streaky form.

Last term, Abraham enjoyed the most prolific debut season of any Roma player since Rodolfo Volk in 1930.

He netted 27 times in all competitions, finishing as Roma’s top scorer in the Conference League, an inaugural tournament the team won to end a 14-year wait for a trophy.

This season however he has only tallied up six league goals. Indeed, such form saw him miss out on England’s World Cup squad.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tammy Abraham, Transfers, AS Roma, Roma, Serie A

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.