Aston Villa’s recruitment team has travelled directly to Istanbul. They aim to strike a deal with Besiktas for Tammy Abraham’s immediate transfer. The Premier League side wants to wrap up a move for the 28-year-old striker.

However, they first have to untangle a contract situation involving three different clubs. Abraham is currently on loan at the Turkish club from Roma. Besiktas hold a purchase obligation, and they aren’t willing to let him go without a big payout.

According to Pete O’Rourke on the Transfer Insider podcast, the money needed to scrap Besiktas’s current deal is the main hold-up. Roma are happy to sell their player. However, the Turkish club want compensation to end a loan agreement that basically guaranteed them the English striker’s future.

Villa officials are now on the ground trying to meet Besiktas’s financial expectations. Things have become much more urgent since Donyell Malen left for Roma. That move left Unai Emery’s squad short on options up front. Emery reportedly wanted Abraham in Birmingham earlier, but these three-way talks have dragged things out. Once Villa pays off Besiktas, O’Rourke suggests Aston Villa and Roma should be able to finish the rest of the paperwork...