Jhon Duran is staying at Aston Villa after Unai Emery’s side rejected loan bids from Premier League rivals Chelsea and West Ham United on transfer deadline day.
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A saga that rumbled on throughout the summer ended up with nothing happening in the end.
Jhon Duran, despite so much speculation and no shortage of interest, is still an Aston Villa player, and will remain as such until the winter at least.
Chelsea and West Ham United were the two clubs most frequently mentioned in conjunction with the 20-year-old Colombia international. Duran’s agent confirmed that he was on The Blues’ radar at the start of the window, while West Ham submitted a £35 million bid just before the new Premier League season kicked off.
Aston Villa, for what it’s worth, were holding out for £40 million.
Aston Villa snub Chelsea and West Ham’s Jhon Duran offers
HITC can now confirm that both Chelsea and West Ham made one final stab at Duran before Friday’s 11pm deadline.
The London duo attempted to sign the former Chicago Fire youngster on loan, though those approaches were dismissed by a Villa side who had already decided to keep Duran and would have had very little time to sign a replacement anyway.
Duran had grown frustrated with his lack of regular starts at Aston Villa last term. He was included in Emery’s XI for only three Premier League fixtures in 2023/24.
But with Ollie Watkins proving to be more profligate than prolific at the start of the new campaign – and with Duran kicking off the season with a brilliant later winner against, ironically enough, West Ham on the opening weekend – opportunities to stake his claim could be forthcoming over the next few months.
“Jhon Duran is a special player,” Emery told Sky Sports after the super-sub striker fizzed home following a fine Ian Maatsen burst at the London Stadium. “We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him.
“He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him. Big Jhon is a bit nuts and is a nightmare to have in your team, but he’s got quality.”
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Chelsea, despite showing an interest in both Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, ended deadline day with another winger in Jadon Sancho rather than the elite centre-forward they are so obviously missing.
West Ham, meanwhile, will be hoping that £27 million man Niclas Fullkrug can break his duck sooner rather than later after their long-running pursuit of Duran ended in failure.
“Jhon Duran has a long-term contract,” Jonathan Herrera, Duran’s agent, told Caracol back in May while going public with Chelsea’s interest in the Medellin-born powerhouse. “He ended up doing things very well and the coach is counting on him.
“It is a club that, having gotten into the Champions League, is a great opportunity. But we know that he wants to play. He wants to go out and play. Let’s see. Now, the market is opening. The club is looking at some options and so are we.”
The interest (from Chelsea) has always existed. The fact that Pochettino leaves the club (should not affect what happens). The one who wants him, in the end, is the club. There has always been an interest.
“Let’s see how we can handle it and make sure Aston Villa is ready.”
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