Duran transfer steps up as Aston Villa eye €100m replacement

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season, which has seen transfer interest mount significantly in the Colombia international striker.

Chelsea had previously chased the 21-year-old unsuccessfully while interest from Arsenal was also suggested in the autumn.

Aston Villa quickly dismissed these latest rumours, and with Duran enjoying a more prominent part in Unai Emery’s plans in recent weeks, suggestions of a January move had appeared to be placed on the backburner.

PSG, however, are planning talks with Villa imminently over a potential move for a forward who has scored 12 goals in 26 games this season, according to Football Insider.

Luis Enrique’s side are known to be desperate to add a scorer to their ranks in January, and the profile of the South American would appear to tick many boxes for the Ligue 1 outfit.

There is no indication of what type of fee will be involved, yet PSG are seeking to lower the financial cost of the deal by throwing in exiled striker Randal Kolo Muani in a part-exchange move.

Kolo Muani is on the fringe of the Parisians’ squad, despite having made a €95 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt only 18 months ago, and is a player they are known to want to offload.

Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran problem

Villa a face a major challenge keeping both Duran and fellow No.9 Ollie Watkins happy. Both will feel they deserve to be starting on a regular basis. Kolo Muani, meanwhile, has been undervalued by the PSG coach and could step up to be a more natural backup for Watkins.

It would, however, be surprising if Emery’s side were to cash in on Duran at this point in the campaign.

Villa are very much in the race for European football in the Premier League this term, while they have been going well in the Champions League and look well placed to automatically qualify for the last 16.

With a string of high-profile fixtures to come, seeking Duran at this juncture of the campaign would have to constitute a huge risk unless PSG offer a lucrative package in return.

This, however, is a move that PSG could conceivably revisit in the summer if they fail to land the striker they want during the January transfer window.

Data analytics firm SciSports have previously indicated that Arsenal are Duran’s best option when it comes to making a transfer, and the Gunners will still have a fighting chance of landing the player if PSG do not go big for him this month.