West Ham given huge transfer boost amid Jhon Duran update at Aston Villa
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery refusing to rule out selling Jhon Duran in January should put West Ham United on high alert.
GiveMeSport reported on 25 September that although Duran has been in red-hot form for Villa so far this season, he is unlikely to displace Ollie Watkins as Emery’s first-choice striker and could be sold.
The desire to be a regular starter saw Duran come close to a move to the Irons in the summer window, but Villa rejected several bids despite the striker reportedly agreeing personal terms in East London.
However, with Emery accepting the Colombian could leave the club in a bid to get more minutes, the Hammers should do all they can to try and secure a deal for Duran despite his £40million price tag [Evening Standard, 26 July].
West Ham could yet seal Jhon Duran transfer
If the Hammers had forgotten just how talented a striker Duran is after eventually deciding against signing him this summer, the Colombian gave them a swift reminder just 79 minutes into the new season.
Coming off the bench to score in a 2-1 victory for Villa on the opening weekend, Duran will have left Irons fans, coaches and board members alike ruing the fact that they let him slip through their grasp.
Duran seemed so close to joining the club that he even performed the ‘Hammers’ symbol in an Instagram Live video, yet the Irons would not pay his £40m asking price with Villa refusing to budge.
Instead, the club changed targets and spent £27m on 31-year-old Germany international Niclas Fullkrug, who is yet to start a Premier League match, or score a goal, for Julen Lopetegui’s side.
Duran makes Fullkrug’s fee look more and more exorbitant with every goal he puts away this season, five in seven across all competitions so far, but the Irons will retain some hope of signing their previous number one transfer target once January comes into view.
In other West Ham news, Julen Lopetegui has dropped a new Fullkrug injury update ahead of the Irons’ clash with Liverpool
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