It feels like an annual tradition: striker Tammy Abraham is being linked with a move to Everton. But like many reports that seem to resurface every transfer window (hello, Wilfried Zaha), as Abraham has continued to trek around Europe, a stop on Merseyside has never materialized.
But the rumor has come around again, this time via Daniele Longo of Calcio Mercato, who dropped Everton's name, alongside Wolves and West Ham, who are described as being "in pole" by Longo. Abraham spent this past season on loan at AC Milan.
But his parent club is where the link to Everton, as weak as it may be at the moment, might make you stop and consider: Abraham is currently a player at Roma, where's he been since moving from Chelsea in 2021, a club owned by The Friedkin Group, who also happen to own Everton FC.
Roma, of course, can't go around selling all their castoffs to Everton without some serious questions surrounding the moves, and that isn't being suggested here.
But the relationship between the two clubs, which hasn't manifested in any tangible ways as of yet, will be something that the Friedkins might be interested in developing over time, even if it isn't via transfer opportunities.
The bigger question is whether Abraham would be worth making a move for in any respect.
He's had a solid season at Milan this campaign, scoring 10 goals and notching six assists despite only starting 17 matches and playing just over 1700 minutes. The striker has outperformed both his xG and xAG on the season.
The England international's first season at Roma was also quite prolific, as he bagged 29 goals for club and country, 27 of which came for the Italian club, as he helped lead them to a 6th-place finish in Serie A.
Abraham has shown the ability to score goals more or less everywhere he's played, including the Championship (25 goals for Aston Villa in 2018/19 when he was just 20), Serie A, the Champions League, and the Premier League (18 times for Chelsea in 2019/20).
The style would be different from what Everton has in Beto, who is a battering ram of a man at center forward, whereas Abraham is a sleeker, quicker player who is less adept at holding up the ball.
At a suggested €15 million, it wouldn't be a bad deal, even for a player who will turn 28 in October, but it would definitely be a change in direction for David Moyes, something he might be reluctant to do.
And the question is whether Everton need to focus on the striker position at all, at least beyond a depth piece, something Abraham would be unlikely to be interested in if he agreed to the move. If the change were made, it would be a readjustment of the position for the club, as Beto would likely ask to move on without a guarantee of a chance to lead the line.
That part makes the move for Abraham even less likely, as there are more pressing needs for Everton this summer.