Jhon Duran to inform Aston Villa he wants West Ham United transfer to play for Julen Lopetegui
Jhon Duran will tell Aston Villa he wants to be sold to West Ham this summer despite interest from Chelsea and Newcastle, according to James Nursey.
The journalist who often writes for The Mirror reported via X on 22 July that the Hammers are close to landing the Colombian striker after making three bids to sign him as Villa hold out for £40million.
He wants to play for Julen Lopetegui as the new Irons boss is a fellow Spanish speaker and can offer him first-team football, so will inform his club this week.
Lopetegui and Tim Steidten are said to have identified Duran as their top target as they look to find a new striker [The Athletic, 21 July] but were thought to have cooled on the idea more recently [Sky Sports, 15 July].
West Ham wanted over Newcastle and Chelsea moves
The Irons clearly need a striker this summer and time is running out to get one in with anything left of preseason.
Lopetegui can’t go the way that David Moyes ended up being obliged to and hitching all his hopes at the position to Michail Antonio, and Danny Ings has been linked with an exit [talkSPORT, 29 May] after failing to find form at the London Stadium.
Whether Duran is the right man is open to debate after just eight goals in 18 months at Villa Park but if the manager and the technical director do decide he is then he’s looks very keen to make the move.
The asking price is not cheap but a Premier League striker from a Champions League club is never going to be and at 20 his value could still rise sharply if he realises his potential with the Hammers.
Unai Emery has been content to run with Ollie Watkins up front so Duran hasn’t had extensive opportunities and the fact that the Villa boss, another Spanish speaker, is seemingly prepared to let him go may be a concern.
But it can’t be for nothing that a host of top-half Premier League clubs like him so if the Irons are going to pull the trigger on a deal it would be better sooner rather than later.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports journalist has shared a transfer update as the Irons chase a pair of Premier League defenders.
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