Former Aston Villa defender and pundit Alan Hutton has been reacting to the club’s reported interest in AS Roma forward Tammy Abraham.

The Lowdown: Abraham speculation

Unai Emery appears to want to sign a new A-list forward for Villa in 2023 and has been linked with a move for Abraham.

The 25-year-old enjoyed a memorable loan spell in the Midlands during the 2018/19 season, helping Villa into the Premier League.

He is no apparently longer considered 'non-transferable' by the Serie A side, with Villa thought to be in the race for his services.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Talking to Football Insider, Hutton was asked for his thoughts on a reunion between Abraham and the Villa faithful.

The Scot, who contributes for the BBC, admitted he would love to see the forward back in a Villa shirt, labelling him as a ‘very talented’ player.

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“I think he would be brilliant.

“I played with him and I thought he was outstanding during his time at Aston Villa. The fans absolutely loved him and he scored goals. He is a very talented boy.

“I do not think Aston Villa will be the only team monitoring his situation. Plus he is doing so well at Roma under Jose Mourinho, would he want to leave that at this moment in time? It would be a difficult one.

“Personally I would love to see him in a Villa shirt again. I think he could do a lot of damage for them moving forward but I do think it would be hard to get over the line.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Abraham has already had success at Villa Park and has continued to score goals wherever he has been, so a 2023 swoop could be a smart call.

He still has plenty of high-level years ahead, however, you’d expect the forward would want to be guaranteed regular game time.

Emery, therefore, may have to make a decision on Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings or Cameron Archer, or manage all four forwards perfectly to keep them all happy.