La Liga champions Real Madrid are reportedly tracking the progress of 20-year-old in-form Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
According to a report by Football Insider, Jhon Duran is the subject of interest from Real Madrid. The reigning La Liga champions are closely monitoring the progress of the in-form Aston Villa striker, who has taken Premier League and European football by storm with his exploits in the final third for the West Midlands outfit.
The rise of Jhon Duran at Aston Villa
Jhon Duran has taken some time to land on his feet at Aston Villa. The South American striker arrived in the Premier League with much hype and fanfare surrounding him, with the West Midlands club beating stiff competition to sign him from MLS club Chicago Fire in January 2023.
The 20-year-old endured a hit-and-miss 2023/24 campaign with Aston Villa, leading Unai Emery to sanction his departure in the summer transfer window. While Chelsea pursued Duran until the final days of the summer, a deal did not see the light of day. That worked out for the best, with the youngster hitting the ground running in the first few weeks of the 2024/25 season.
While the Colombian international has managed only 297 minutes of game time across nine appearances in all competitions, he has found the back of the net six times thus far. Meanwhile, Jhon Duran’s exploits for Aston Villa have not gone unnoticed, capturing the attention of several high-profile clubs across Europe, including Chelsea and Real Madrid.
A man in demand
Chelsea’s continued interest in Jhon Duran is understandable. The West London club signed only one striker in the summer transfer window, with Marc Guiu arriving from Barcelona. However, the youngster will not become the first-choice striker for Chelsea anytime soon, compelling the Blues to scour the market for a top-class centre-forward.
As for Real Madrid, Duran will unlikely establish himself as the first-choice striker at the Santiago Bernabeu, considering Kylian Mbappe is the primary pick. Nevertheless, the Colombian forward can be a top-notch addition to the Real Madrid attack.
However, signing Duran from Aston Villa will not be straightforward, with Aston Villa likely to demand a premium to part ways with him next year. It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid can beat the competition to the 20-year-old striker’s signature next year.
