Jhon Duran is being urged to consider a move away from Premier League high-flyers Aston Villa with Serie A giants AC Milan potentially a ‘perfect’ destination for the Colombia international.
This week, the former Chicago Fire striker celebrated his one-year anniversary as an Aston Villa player, the Midland giants snapping up one of the brightest attacking talents on the other side of the Atlantic for an initial £15 million in January 2023.
Well, we say ‘celebrated’.
The proverbial champagne may have tasted a little bittersweet, considering that Jhon Duran has not started a single Premier League game in 12 months at Villa Park. Each of his 26 top-flight appearances have come from the bench and, while Duran has found the net twice under Unai Emey in 2023/24, those two goals have come from just 174 minutes of action.
Does Jhon Duran need to leave Aston Villa?
Of course, Duran’s backseat role is more the result of Ollie Watkins’ outstanding form than his own deficiencies. Even if the 20-year-old is admittedly far from the finished article.
But, with Watkins’ status as Emery’s number one centre-forward written in stone, it’s no wonder concerns are growing back home in Colombia.
“(Duran) needs to go away and find space. (He needs) to play,” Sierra, one of the most respected reporters in Colombian football, tells Tuttomercatoweb. “He’s had few (offers) in Europe.
“He is very young and is already at the top. Now, all he has to do is find space.”
Duran played down the speculation surrounding his Aston Villa future a couple of days ago. Having said that, he did admit that a move to AC Milan – who have been linked in recent months – would be the culmination of a childhood ‘dream’ (Win Sports TV).
And, with Olivier Giroud now closer to 40 than he is to 30, Sierra feels that San Siro may be something of an ideal destination.
Linked with Serie A switch
“Absolutely, yes, I think that Jhon is a perfect player for Milan,” Sierra adds. “He is suited to a club like this. He’s strong, he is fast, he is a real fighter.”
“He is a central striker but not ‘classic’ (centre-forward). He has excellent ball control, he’s quick, he knows how to change pace without difficulty. He’s young, but he is already reaching a good maturity.”
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