Aston Villa reportedly turned down late advances from Chelsea and West Ham for striker Jhon Duran, who is set for a stay.
According to HITC, Chelsea and West Ham had made late overtures to sign Jhon Duran, only for Aston Villa to turn down those approaches. Both London giants, more so the Blues, were keen to add a new striker in their ranks, as Unai Emery’s side did not entertain those enquiries right on the brink of the transfer deadline.
Aston Villa rejected late Jhon Duran approaches
Aston Villa had kept their doors open to sell Jhon Duran all summer, as it may have been the striker’s desire to seek a new challenge. The Birmingham-based club had wanted £40 million to sell the attacker, with West Ham heavily linked with the Colombian.
Duran’s agents were pushing to join West Ham at one stage, with some reports suggesting the Hammers did make a £35 million bid. Villa stuck with their valuation of the striker and held firm, as they showed no rush to offload the £40m-rated prospect from their squad.
Duran did not feature a lot during last season, but since the start of the current campaign, he has made a positive impact, including a late winner away at West Ham on the opening weekend. Either way, Villa had wanted their money to sell, and did not entertain late approaches on deadline day for the striker.
Chelsea were lining up a late move for the striker, and it appears both the Blues and the Hammers made enquiries at the death. Aston Villa reportedly rejected those overtures, as there was barely any time left in the window to find a replacement. Had they entertained the prospect and not brought in someone in his place, Emery’s side would have fallen short in the striker department ahead of a critical season.
Chelsea more desperate for a new striker
West Ham had sufficiently strengthened their attacking ranks this summer, and while Chelsea has managed to bring in an array of new players, they are still short of a new striker. The Blues were heavily involved in discussions with Victor Osimhen. Still, ultimately, the Napoli star rejected their offer and may have missed out on a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia as well.
Chelsea reportedly angled a late move for Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and probably failed. It shows, they were desperate late in the window to land a striker at all costs, although they did bring Jadon Sancho on deadline day, which still leaves Nicolas Jackson as their main centre-forward, at least until January.
