Southampton have reportedly approached Chelsea over the possibility of signing striker Tammy Abraham following the surprise departure of Danny Ings to Aston Villa.

Ings, who scored 46 goals in 100 appearances for the Saints after joining from Liverpool in 2018, completed a shock £30m move to Villa Park on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old was in the final year of his contract and turned down a new deal which would have made him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl quickly came out to insist they can replace the forward and it seems Abraham is top of his wish list, according to talkSPORT.

They tweeted on Thursday morning: ‘Southampton enquire about the availability of Tammy Abraham.

‘The Saints want a loan deal, but Chelsea are pursuing a permanent buyer.’

The Blues are looking to sell as they bid to seal a big money move for Romelu Lukaku.

Abraham has interest from Arsenal, West Ham and Atalanta and Chelsea value him in the region of £40m.

Speaking about the Ings transfer on Wednesday, Hasenhuttl told the Southern Daily Echo: ‘It was not a shock for me as we are always informed about what is going on behind the scenes.

‘It was clear we had a player who didn’t want to sign for us anymore. I must say it is fantastic that we get a lot of money for him.

‘He did a fantastic job for this club. He was an amazing goalscorer all this time when he was here. It is a pity that he leaves, but this is the business.

‘I want to say thank you for the time he played for us. We can replace him with the money we have got.’