Former Chelsea star reveals that Reece James keeps telling him to return to the London club

AS Roma forward Tammy Abraham has revealed that Chelsea defender Reece James has implored his former teammate to return to Stamford Bridge on multiple occasions.

Abraham left the west London outfit ahead of the 2021-22 campaign to join the Serie A outfit for £34 million. The England international has since thrived under Jose Mourinho and has impressed for his side. He has scored 36 goals and provided 12 assists in 102 games across all competitions for Roma.

The English forward's contract with the Italian outfit is set to expire only in 2026. However, he has been linked with a return to the Premier League this summer, and a second Chelsea stint is understood to be a possibility (as per Metro).

James would love to reunite with Abraham at the West London outfit. The ex-Blues striker said (as quoted by Metro):

"Just before I left Chelsea, [Fikayo] Tomori went to AC Milan and we talked a lot. I remember the phone calls, none of us could believe what was happening. We had been at Chelsea our whole lives and in a moment we were walking away. Everything I knew was Chelsea apart from a few loan moves but even now, I think it was the right time to leave."

He added:

"I was ready to take a step forward in my career, I didn’t want to be considered a youngster or a player who had just come from the academy. It was time for me to spread my wings."

Abraham continued:

"I still talk to so many Chelsea players, Reece James always tells me to come back! We grew up together and have known each other for years – players like [Mason] Mount, [Declan] Rice and [Eddie] Nketiah."

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Abraham has also admitted that a return to the Premier League club could not be dismissed. The England international told Four Four Two in March (as quoted by Metro):

"Never say never in football. Right now, my focus is on Roma — I’ve no other plans. Maybe I’ll stay at Roma for the next ten years, maybe not. You never know."

Abraham earned a promotion to the Blues' first team under former manager Frank Lampard after working his way up through the grassroots.

During his career at Stamford Bridge, the England international registered 82 appearances across all competitions for the senior team, scoring 30 goals and providing 12 assists.

This season, Abraham has been rather tame in the Serie A, scoring just eight goals in 35 matches for Roma. In contrast, the English forward bagged 17 goals last term.