West Ham United learn fate in Jhon Duran transfer race as Chelsea update emerges
West Ham are still in the market for a new striker this summer, and they may not have to look any further than the Premier League.
The club have already been linked with AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham as well as Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri, who has previous experience with new manager Julen Lopetegui.
Under David Moyes, the Hammers were often searching for players with Premier League experience already under their belts rather than extending to other leagues, which brought a mixed bag of signings.
While a new era looks to be beginning under the Spaniard, the same transfer ideology could stick this summer after the signing of Max Kilman from Wolves this month.
According to talkSPORT [2 July], the Hammers are eyeing up a possible deal for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, with the rival club open to offers for the 20-year-old Colombian.
West Ham now look to be in the driver’s seat for the transfer after The Athletic reported [9 July] that Chelsea’s long-standing interest in the striker has “receded”.
West Ham United leading race to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran
Duran has really yet to prove himself in the Premier League with the Villans, having only notched five goals in the league last season and only making three starts.
He also made an impact in the Europa League, accompanying Ollie Watkins up front but has still failed to build any confidence that he is the next best thing to their current striker.
Despite this, Duran is a very young striker, who has shown bursts of his talent throughout the last season-and-a-half in England, joining from Chicago Fire in January 2023.
While Michail Antonio looks to be continuing his career at the London Stadium, his recent injury record will be a concern heading into the 2024/25 campaign, which makes a striker addition all the more important this summer.
Lopetegui cannot afford to be missing his main striker for the majority of next season, so a young understudy could be a sensible signing this summer in the form of Duran.
In other West Ham news, the club might be ready to go all in for one striker playing in LaLiga.
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