‘Terms agreed’ - Aston Villa star 'close' to bombshell £59m exit in hammer blow to West Ham and Arsenal

In-demand forward Jhon Duran has reportedly agreed personal terms with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr as he closes in on a bombshell January departure from Villa Park.

The Aston Villa striker’s future has been a hot topic in recent months, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and most recently Al-Nassr all showing interest in the talented Colombian international.

Villa have already rejected two previous January bids from West Ham for the 21-year-old forward, but now face a huge decision on whether to keep the young forward in the West Midlands for the foreseeable future as they aim to achieve Champions League qualification once again.

Jhon Duran’s career at Aston Villa so far

Jhon Duran progressed through the academy of his local side Envigado F.C and by the age of just 15 was earmarked by the Guardian as being one of the 60 best young talents in his age group.

The Colombian frontman joined Chicago Fire in 2022 for just £1.5m and after scoring eight times in 27 matches was sold to Villa 12 months later for a tidy profit of £14.75m.

Duran took time to make an impression at Villa Park and was limited to just 12 substitute appearances in his first six months as he struggled to get minutes ahead of the in-form Ollie Watkins.

The young forward showed flickers of his quality in his first full season by scoring eight in 37 appearances across all competitions with the bulk of those coming from the bench. However, a double against Liverpool on matchday 37 was enough to make everyone stop and take note of the striker’s potential.

In the opening six months of this season, Duran has exploded into life with 12 goals in 29 appearances - including six goals from the bench which is the most for any player in Europe this season.

Duran has notably scored three winning Premier League goals as an impact sub, which is the joint most in a single top-flight season.

What is most impressive, however, is the manner of goals in which Duran has scored, which have often come from distance or at difficult angles, such as his wonderstrikes against Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.

Will Jhon Duran leave Aston Villa this month?

Jhon Duran is looking increasingly likely to leave Villa Park this month as he is offered the chance to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Saudi giants Al-Nassr.

Football London reports Villa are on the brink of accepting an offer of around £59m for Duran despite previously turning down two separate bids from West Ham for the Colombian’s signature earlier in the month.

Reporter Ben Jacobs further adds personal terms have been agreed between Duran and the Middle East club, but claims one stumbling block could be the club’s pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface.

Al-Nassr have already agreed a £60m fee to sign the Nigerian international from the BayArena and most now decide whether to sign one or both of their main striker targets to play alongside Ronaldo.