Aston Villa have rejected a bid value £57m from West Ham for striker Jhon Duran.
Villa don’t wish to promote and it’s understood they worth Duran upwards of £70m.
West Ham have a long-standing curiosity in Duran – who just lately prolonged his contract till 2030 – and new West Ham boss Graham Potter is understood to be a giant admirer.
The Hammers tried to signal Duran in the summertime however failed to fulfill Villa’s valuation.
The 21-year-old has scored seven Premier League targets in 19 appearances this season, with Ollie Watkins used as Unai Emery’s most popular ahead.
He moved to Villa Park from MLS aspect Chicago Fireplace in January 2023 however simply seven of his 54 league appearances have come as a starter.
Can Villa supply sufficient alternative to maintain Duran?
Sky Sports activities’ Laura Hunter:
“West Ham are testing the waters with this bid. Clearly they believe an amount of money close to that submission would be enough to, at the very least, tempt Villa to the negotiation table.
“It was not way back that Duran was naively throwing up an ‘Irons’ signal on Instagram dwell after listening to of the Londoners’ summer time curiosity. He swiftly reneged on that, and has since proved his worth to Villa with 12 targets throughout all competitions.
“Ollie Watkins believes the pair can play together – he said so after Villa’s draw with Arsenal on Saturday. The man to convince, however, is Unai Emery, who appears reluctant to start Watkins and Duran as a trusted partnership.
“The questions stays whether or not 602 minutes of Premier League soccer is basically sufficient to maintain Duran’s rising urge for food. It is a striker able to main the road at numerous high golf equipment, and at the moment has his pathway blocked by the reliability and expertise of Watkins.”
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