Highlights
- West Ham’s move for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran remains ‘very complicated’.
- Villa are ‘more than happy’ to keep Duran in the squad ahead of their Champions League debut.
- The Birmingham outfit held firm to their £40m valuation of the Colombian striker.
West Ham United’s acquisition of Borussia Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug has made a move for Aston Villa outcast Jhon Duran ‘very complicated’, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT.
The Hammers have cooled their interest in Duran in recent days, opting instead to finalise a deal for Fullkrug, who has signed a three-year contract at the London Stadium.
According to Romano, Villa have rejected all proposals for Duran from West Ham, holding firm on their £40m valuation of the Colombian striker.
The 20-year-old, who was reportedly keen on a switch to West Ham, could now face a repeat of the Chelsea transfer saga from earlier in the summer window.
The Blues had long-standing interest in Duran, dating back to the January transfer window, but eventually decided against signing the centre-forward and instead finalised deals for promising attackers Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu.
According to Romano, Aston Villa are ‘more than happy’ to keep Duran in the squad ahead of their Champions League debut, despite reports suggesting Unai Emery is planning to move forward without the Colombia international.
Aston Villa ‘Happy’ With Jhon Duran
After rejecting West Ham’s proposal
Romano, speaking to GMS, suggested that Aston Villa are keen to keep Duran in the squad if their £40m valuation remains unmet this summer:
“It’s making it very complicated. I can’t say impossible, but very complicated.
“Aston Villa have always rejected all the proposals they received from West Ham. It was up to more than £30 million, plus one player included, plus a long clause.
“So it was a very important proposal they received from West Ham and they always said no, because Aston Villa believe the player is worth £40 million guaranteed.
“So that was the idea. Otherwise, they’re more than happy to continue with him.”
Since joining in January 2023 from Chicago Fire, the 20-year-old has struggled for playing time in his first 18 months at Villa Park, racking up just 588 minutes of Premier League football.
Duran struggled to outshine the club’s top scorer, Ollie Watkins, last season and was linked with a January move away from the Birmingham outfit.
The Colombian made 49 appearances for Villa across all competitions, averaging a goal every 154 minutes and scoring eight in total, including five in the Premier League.
With Champions League football on the horizon, Villa are likely to need a deeper squad, meaning Duran could expect more playing time in his second full season under Unai Emery.
|
Jhon Duran Aston Villa Stats (2023-24) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Appearances |
Goals |
|
Premier League |
23 |
5 |
|
Conference League |
10 |
2 |
|
UECL Qualifiers |
2 |
1 |
|
FA Cup |
1 |
0 |
|
EFL Cup |
1 |
0 |
West Ham ‘Working’ on Wan-Bissaka Deal
Expected to make final decision soon
West Ham United are still undecided on whether to proceed with a move for Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian football insider suggests that Manchester United are still waiting for the final green light from the Hammers, who have been occupied with deals for Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, and Guido Rodriguez in recent days.
Wan-Bissaka has emerged as a target for West Ham in recent weeks, following Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui snubbing a switch to the London Stadium, as he prioritised a move to Manchester United.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 06-08-24.
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