West Ham United to accelerate Jhon Duran transfer next week in new update
West Ham United are set to accelerate their move to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran once Copa America ends, according to Dharmesh Sheth.
Speaking to The West Ham Way on YouTube (11 July), the Sky Sports journalist reports that the 20-year-old striker is currently focused on Colombia after they reached the final where they will face Argentina on Sunday (14 July).
The Hammers’ interest in a deal is “strong”, and Sheth expects that talks between the clubs and the player will accelerate next week, although it could still take some time with Villa undecided on a deal due to his high potential.
“If West Ham are to get this deal over the line, which is still a long way from that happening of course, and add to that he’s still with Colombia at Copa America,” he said.
“They got to the final, so you’d expect that one will accelerate once Copa America is over but it is definitely one West Ham United are looking at.
“It would be a really interesting signing, and Aston Villa will be just looking at the situation because they don’t want to be in a position where four or five seasons down the line they’re thinking, ‘we should never have sold this guy,’ hence why it could take a little bit of time whether Aston Villa are going to fully decide yes you’re allowed to go or you’re not allowed to go.”
West Ham United to push for Jhon Duran transfer
Julen Lopetegui wants to bolster the West Ham forward line, and Duran could be the perfect remedy for his problems and the club’s long-standing issues.
Sebastian Haller and Gianluca Scamacca have both been signed to fill the number nine role in recent years but under David Moyes, it always ended up with Michail Antonio becoming the regular starter.
However with his age and interest from MLS and Saudi, there is a new opportunity for someone to come in and make the shirt their own, and Duran is desperate to step up and play regularly.
He has shown his quality in glimpses at Villa, but being the understudy to Ollie Watkins has made it difficult, Lopetegui’s style of striker is exactly what Duran offers and the chaos and quality he possesses would suit the rest of the team.
With Copa America ending on Sunday (14 July), next week could be huge for Tim Steidten to get a deal done and ensure the team doesn’t start the campaign short in attack.
In other West Ham news, Matt O’Riley’s preferred destination has emerged after talks with the Hammers and an official bid.
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