Aston Villa are likely to be busy in the summer transfer window ahead of a huge 2024/25 campaign.
The Villans have been going from strength to strength under Unai Emery since he took the reins back in November 2022.
Villa were just 15th in the Premier League table when Emery took over, but now they’re preparing for the Champions League.
However, Villa will be mindful of how much extra workload comes with being in the Champions League, so they’re bound to strengthen their squad.
At the same time, the Villans will also look at offloading players who are surplus to Emery’s requirements in order to free up squad places and wages.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on a Villa player said to be on the radar of Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The player in question is Jhon Duran, who doesn’t appear to be in Emery’s long-term plans and has reportedly been valued at £35-40million.
Romano wrote on X: “Jhon Duran remains one of the names on Chelsea shortlist since January.
Initial approaches between Chelsea and Aston Villa took place, as Villa asked for info on Gallagher.
“AVFC value Duran around £35/40m. Understand Duran gives priority to Chelsea over Italian clubs.”
Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran seems keen on Chelsea move
As per The Guardian, Duran is not in Emery’s long-term plans, having started just three games since joining Villa in January 2023.
However, the 20-year-old is viewed as a player with a lot of potential, and Chelsea – who want competition for Nicolas Jackson – seem keen.
Duran is a ‘special‘ talent – in Emery’s words – who sadly isn’t getting much of a chance at Villa at present.
Therefore, let’s hope that they can strike a deal with the Blues and he can go on to play regular first-team football.
It’s the kind of deal that would make everyone happy. Villa get to make some money from selling Duran, the player gets a fresh start, and Chelsea get a rising star of the Premier Leaguye.