Journalist Fabrizio Romano of Give Me Sport reports that if Jhon Duran departs the team before the end of this transfer window, Aston Villa is anticipated to pursue another forward.
As a stand-in for star Ollie Watkins during the previous season, Duran struggled to get regular playing time at Villa Park, starting just three Premier League games. The Colombian has since been connected to numerous teams this summer and, back in July, he and West Ham reached an agreement on personal conditions over a possible transfer to the London stadium.
But the agreement fell through when the Hammers turned down Villa’s high asking price and instead signed Germany international Niclas Fullkrug. However, Romano has now disclosed that the 20-year-old striker may yet leave the West Midlands late in the transfer season. If Duran leaves, Villa will probably move quickly to recruit a forward of some kind as a substitute.
Romano: Duran Could Still Go
Duran has only made 25 league appearances in the 18 months after signing a contract worth up to £17.75 million to join Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023. Despite this, the nine-man nonetheless produced an amazing amount of work during the previous campaign, scoring eight goals across all competitions. Unai Emery has called him “special”.
Despite scoring the game’s winning goal and gesturing to the ground in his celebration to indicate that he will stay a Villan, Romano exclusively revealed to GIVEMESPORT on Friday morning (August 23) that Duran could still leave late in the transfer window and that an exit could prompt Villa to return to the market. This output sparked interest from West Ham and Chelsea, who the Colombia international gave “the green light” to back in June. A deal with either side has not materialized, so the goalscorer started for Villa off the bench in their 2-1 victory against the Irons in the opening match of the season.
Villa will consider other opportunities. I think it’s really important to understand what’s going to happen with Jhon Duran, because in case they get an important proposal for Jhon Duran, he could still leave the club at the last minute, and so they would need one more offensive player.
“Or, if Duran is staying, I think a number nine is obviously not going to be a priority, obviously also having Ollie Watkins. Maybe they can consider a winger like (Raheem) Sterling, but at the moment it’s not something concrete, but that kind of player.”
Romano’s statements hint that a departure for Duran is still unlikely, although not off the table if a suitor satisfies their conditions. It also says Villa’s activities will be reliant on the former Envigado man’s future.
Villa Eyeing Strikers in Case of Duran Exit
Villa have reportedly been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Atlético Madrid striker Samu Omorodion, who had been on the verge of a move to Chelsea. A winger seems to be the more likely acquisition, with a replacement for Moussa Dibay still on the agenda. The links to strikers indicate that succession planning is happening for the scenario that sees Duran leave the West Midlands. The Nigerian impressed last season in La Liga, scoring eight goals on loan at Deportivo Alaves.
In the meantime, there are rumors that Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace would like to go from Selhurst Park to Villa.
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