‘West Ham to move quickly to sign Jhon Duran’ as transfer offer lined up
West Ham United have long held an interest in former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
The Hammers had been linked with a move for the Colombian back in January, having previously missed out on him last summer, but Duran opted to move to Saudi Arabia and join Al-Nassr instead.
Duran has since struggled to adapt to life in the Middle East, which has prompted speculation that he could be set to return to European football next term.
West Ham have once again been mooted as potential suitors for Duran, with Graham Potter keen to add to his squad in a bid to lift the club up into the top half of the Premier League table next season.
West Ham must move quickly as Fenerbahce ready bid for Duran
Duran was understood to have been encouraged by the idea of a move to West Ham back in January, and with his Al-Nassr exit seeming likely this summer, the Hammers should be doing everything they can to force themselves back into the frame.
There has been little indication so far that the East Londoners are preparing a move for the striker, and if they do have designs on bringing him, then they must move extremely quickly following the latest development elsewhere.
Fenerbahce are believed to be reading an offer to present to Al-Nassr imminently, according to Italian journalist Orazio Accomando (25 June).
Jose Mourinho’s side are understood to have found negotiations with the Saudi club to be complicated, but they are now preparing to materialise their interest.
With the Turkish giants set to strike the first blow in the race for Duran, West Ham face great urgency if they have any interest in adding him to Potter’s squad for next season.
If Fenerbahce’s offer is accepted, then it will just be a case of negotiating personal terms, leaving limited time for any other clubs to swoop in.
Duran would be a good fit at West Ham
The London Stadium outfit have desperately needed a number nine in recent years, and their issues in the forward ranks were exacerbated last season by the failings of both Niclas Fullkrug and Evan Ferguson.
Jarrod Bowen needs support to help shoulder the goalscoring burden if the Hammers are to progress up the table, and Duran could be the perfect man to bring that next term.
| Club | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Aston Villa | 78 | 20 | – |
| Envigado | 49 | 10 | 4 |
| Chicago Fire | 28 | 8 | 3 |
| Al-Nassr | 18 | 12 | – |
The youngster impressed at Villa despite mainly receiving limited opportunities, and developed a reputation as a scorer of both important and spectacular goals.
That ability would be invaluable to West Ham, who became far too stale and easy to deal with at times last season.
Duran could be a sensible option for the Hammers to target once again, but if they want to have any hope of pulling off a deal, they need to act fast to hijack Fenerbahce’s advances.
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