Aston Villa and Fulham are linked with a January swoop for Jhon Duran, with the two clubs submitting offers to sign the Colombian striker.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Premier League trio of Aston Villa, Brentford, and Fulham have all made offers for Chicago Fire and Colombia forward Jhon Duran. But Benfica are in pole position to sign the 19-year-old striker.
Duran earned the first of his three Colombia caps in September and is considered the most promising young striker in MLS. Chicago Fire snapped up the young forward from Colombian outfit Envigado in January 2021. And he has enjoyed an excellent breakout season for the MLS outfit despite his team’s struggles.
The youngster has been lighting up the MLS, having scored eight goals and five assists in 28 games for the Chicago Fire this season, finishing as the club’s top scorer. There is a feeling a talent like him won’t stay in MLS for long, as some of the world’s most prestigious clubs are keeping a close eye on his progress.
He has recently been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea. In addition, Portuguese giants Benfica have set their sights on securing a deal during the early stages of 2023 as a future replacement for in-demand Goncalo Ramos.
While the 19-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of 2024, there is an option for Chicago Fire to extend his term by two years. So the MLS outfit are in an advantageous negotiating position. It would take a substantial fee to pry him away from the Illinois-based outfit considering that he is under a long-term contract.
They have already sold goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina to Chelsea, so Duran could follow in his footsteps to the Premier League if his current employers look to cash in on their prized asset following their disappointing season. Now, Fulham and Aston Villa have jumped into the chase and have lodged their respective proposals for the rising star.
January provides Unai Emery with the perfect opportunity to run the rule over his squad after replacing Steven Gerrard. Aston Villa are likely to be busy in the transfer market as they look to give Emery a stronger platform for a positive end to the season.
Despite having Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins in his squad, an up-and-coming new striker is certainly on the Spanish coach’s agenda. The Villans recently showed interest in versatile 21-year-old attacker Nicolas Jackson. Duran also fits the bill, as he can play across the frontline and could be a more cost-effective option than the former.
As for Fulham, talismanic Serbian hitman Aleksandar Mitrovic has enjoyed the form of his life over the past year or so. After breaking several records in the Cottagers’ Championship title-winning 2021/22 season, his red-hot goalscoring form has continued in the Premier League as he continues to prove his doubters wrong and carry Fulham in their top-half push.
Fulham have been scouting extensively in the Americas, going by their recent links to Pablo Maia, Roger Nestor, and Igor Gomes. They could see Duran as not only one for the future but also someone who can compete with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Carlos Vinicius up top.
