Arsenal are desperately in the transfer market in search of a new striker before the ongoing window ends as the success of their season hinges on their ability to recruit fast, and to recruit properly. As per reports from TBR Football, the Gunners’ searches took them to Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran. However, talks have stalled since Villa quoted £100m for their striker.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also chimed-in with an exclusive update regarding Duran’s situation. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano explained how the 21-year-old Colombian is subject to interest from several clubs. He said,
“For Jhon Duran, let me tell you something. West Ham had a bid rejected, interest from several clubs across Europe. What I’m told is also Arsenal made a call in recent weeks to understand the situation of Jhon Duran, but no bid, no direct negotiations, because Sesko, at the moment, no green light from Leipzig.
“Also Alexander Isak, the dream target of Arsenal, super expensive, very complicated.”
Romano’s words clearly indicate that Arsenal are desperately trying their hand everywhere but will soon need to narrow down a target and move in on him full-steam as the window is about to slam shut.
Jhon Duran – Career trajectory so far
Duran was born in Colombia in 2003 and began his youth playing career with Envigado in 2015, before breaking into their senior team in 2019. He spent three seasons with the senior team before moving to Chicago Fire, where he produced eight goals and six assists in 28 games in just one season.
Seeing his development over the years, Aston Villa made a move to sign Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire in January 2023, agreeing to pay a fee of £14.75m plus £3m in add-ons. He has since made 78 appearances for the Villans, scoring 20 goals for the club. While he still deputizes for starting striker Ollie Watkins, Duran has come up clutch in multiple moments this season.
He has scored goals against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as well as a stunning strike against Manchester City in the Premier League to put himself on the map. Now, aged just 21, it remains to be seen how Jhon Duran’s career progresses in the Premier League.
