Aston Villa monitoring Tammy Abraham's situation at Chelsea

Aston Villa are keeping tabs on Chelsea's Tammy Abraham ahead of a potential summer transfer, with the youngster falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Abraham emerged as the Blues' first-choice centre-forward during Frank Lampard's first season with the club as manager - netting 15 goals in 34 Premier League outings - though the arrival of big-money signings like Timo Werner have seen him fall out of favour.

His game time has been limited even further since Thomas Tuchel was appointed Chelsea boss, with reports now emerging that the club are willing to offload the 23-year-old at the end of the season after talks over a new deal stalled.

News of Abraham's availability has stirred the interest of West Ham, though the Mirror report that Villa have entered the race to sign the youngster.

The England international spent a season on loan at Villa Park during the club's spell in the Championship, and he emerged as a firm fan favourite as his 25 league goals helped propel them back to the Premier League via the play-offs at the third time of asking.

Upon their promotion back to the top flight Villa explored the possibility of signing Abraham on a permanent deal, though Chelsea were unwilling to listen to offers.

However, with his opportunities in the first team limited and Tuchel seemingly willing to persist with Werner, Chelsea are now looking to cash in on Abraham should a club match their £40m valuation.

Chelsea's lofty asking price may prove too steep for a lot of clubs interested in acquiring his services, though Villa haven't been shy when it comes to shelling out huge transfer fees over the last few seasons - with Ollie Watkins' fee potentially rising to £33m - and Abraham could prove to be a great addition to Dean Smith's squad as he looks to bolster his attacking options.