'Bid submitted' - Aston Villa braced for £60m transfer frenzy as Premier League rivals eye key player

Aston Villa face the threat of losing their leading goalscorer in the January transfer window, with a new report revealing that a Premier League rival has made a bid for Colombian striker Jhon Durán.

TBR Football claimed on Monday that West Ham United “submitted a bid” for the 21-year-old forward, who has scored 12 goals in 26 games in all competitions for Unai Emery’s side this season but who has nevertheless found it difficult to oust Ollie Watkins as Villa’s first-choice striker.

West Ham, who are desperate to bolster their attacking options with both Niclas Füllkrug and Michail Antonio dealing with injury issues, are said to have made the transfer bid last week, only to have it rejected by Villa. The size of the bid was not revealed in the report, but it is claimed that it was “in excess” of the £30m that they allegedly offered for the striker’s services in the summer transfer window.

What would Aston Villa need to sell Durán?

As revealed by BirminghamWorld this weekend, Villa have placed a price tag of €85m (£71.5m) on Durán in order to ward of growing interest in the striker. Although Watkins remains the first choice up front, Unai Emery does not want to lose the Colombian this winter as the Villans push for a second consecutive European campaign.

That could prove too much for West Ham, who have been linked with a host of strikers including Manchester United outcast Marcus Rashford as they look for a forward who can score regularly under new manager Graham Potter.

The TBR Football report claims that Durán would be “open to a move” in order to secure a regular starting berth in the Premier League. Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund have also been linked with a move for the young forward, who joined Aston Villa in January 2023 from Chicago Fire in a deal believed to be worth up to £17.75m.

Does Durán want to leave Villa?

Durán was rumoured to be close to joining West Ham towards the end of the summer transfer window but ended up staying at Villa Park, memorably celebrating a winning goal against the Hammers in August by indicating that he would be staying with Emery’s side despite speculation about his future.

Chelsea were also linked with a bid for Durán over the summer and remain in the frame should Villa decide to sell, while German outfit Borussia Dortmund, who are close to selling winger Donyell Malen to Emery’s side, have also been rumoured to be interested.

Durán told the media that he was “happy to be” at Villa Park as recently as December, after he scored against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, and claimed that he “loved the competition” with Watkins, who has scored eight goals this season and has been given most of the starting minutes in the Premier League.

TBR Football’s claim that he could leave if regular first-team action was available may cause concern for Emery, but it is likely that there remains a significant gap between Villa’s valuation of the player and West Ham’s capacity to spend this winter.