Official: Roma Signs Tammy Abraham

In the end, it took a bit more convincing than they were probably accustomed to, but Roma finally landed their man, officially announcing the signing of former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham. The soon-to-be 24-year-old forward was unveiled to the public earlier today as Roma's new number nine.

According to the official press release, the terms of the deal are as follows:

Abraham, 23, joins the club from Premier League side Chelsea – with whom he won the Champions League earlier this year – for a fee of €40 million.

The overall transfer agreement also includes a number of performance-related clauses, based on the achievements of both the player and the club. Chelsea will also retain the right to a percentage of any future transfer fee involving the striker.

Abraham, meanwhile, has put pen-to-paper on a five-year contract with the club that runs until 30 June 2026.

While they weren't included in the official press release, rumor holds that the performance-related bonuses will tack an additional €5 million on to this deal, and while Chelsea retaining “the right to a percentage of any future transfer” is new, speculation holds that Chelsea also has an €80 million buyback clause that's valid beginning in June 2023. If those rumored wrinkles are true, presumably the percentage of future transfer fees would kick in if Abraham is sold to a club other than Chelsea after 2023. Or, to put it in clearer terms, we can probably just view Chelsea's €80 million buyback as a de facto right of first refusal clause, after which, rather than receiving a lump sum eighty million euro payment, they'd receive a slice of any future sale.

On his new club, Abraham spoke about being wanted:

You can sense when a club really wants you – and Roma made their interest clear immediately,

Roma is a club that deserves to be fighting for titles and trophies. I’ve had the experience of winning major trophies and I want to be in those competitions again – so I want to help this team to achieve that and get to the level where Roma should be.

It’s a massive honour to be the No. 9 at this club and I just can’t wait to get started and to help the team

As is customary at these introductory press conferences, Roma GM Tiago Pinto pulled back the curtains a bit, shining some light on the club's pursuit of Abraham:

Despite still being very young, with a huge amount of potential to keep improving, Tammy has already played more than 200 games in his career and scored over 100 goals – and won a number of major trophies too

Choosing to leave the Premier League, and the club he grew up at, demonstrates very clearly just how much he believes in this opportunity to develop his own game and show what he can do at Roma.

Bringing in players that have such a hunger and desire to play for our club is hugely important in helping to build the identity and sense of belonging that is a fundamental part of our overall vision for this team.

We'll have a look at how Abraham will fit in with Mourinho's tactics shortly, but for now, join us in welcoming Tammy to the capital!