Aston Villa have been linked with a potential Jhon Duran replacement who nearly came to the Premier League last summer.

Aston Villa may bolstered their attacking options with the deadline-day loan signings of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio but with no guarantees that either will sign permanently come the summer, the club are still looking for players they might be able to sign in the next transfer window - and reports from Spain suggest that they could be going back in for a player who has been linked with a move to Villa Park before.

Sport Witness have reported on a story from Spanish newspaper AS which claims that Porto striker Samu Agehowa, formerly known by the surname Omorodion, is “back on Aston Villa’s list” as a potential replacement for Jhon Duran, who was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr for a reported £64m in January.

Agehowa was linked with a move to both Villa and Chelsea in the summer of 2024, eventually agreeing a £34m transfer to the Blues only for the transfer to collapse after he failed a medical. The 20-year-old Spaniard subsequently moved to Porto, where he has impressed sufficiently to earn his first cap for his national team.

AS’ report suggests that Villa are “very interested” in Agehowa, who they view as a player who has similar characteristics to Duran and could fill a similar role – his current club allegedly value him at €50m (£41.3m), although his release clause is believed to be twice that price.

Agehowa on fire after strange summer

Agehowa, who changed his surname from Omorodion in November to honour his mother, was on the brink of a move to Stamford Bridge when he failed a medical, likely due to complications related to a recent ankle injury.

Perhaps because of that issue, Villa declined to make a bid of their own, leaving the door open for Porto to swoop in at a reduced rate – in a complex deal, the Portuguese club bought half of his rights for €15m (£12.4m), which options to buy most of the remaining sporting rights to him in the future.

That could make negotiating a deal complicated as third parties still partially own his registration, but the deal has already paid off handsomely for Porto – Agehowa has already scored 13 goals in 17 league games alongside another five in European competition.

His performances have been good enough to earn a first Spain call-up, and he made his debut as a half-time substitute in a Nations League game against Switzerland – and it seems that have drawn attention from Aston Villa, as well.

Rashford & Asensio could stay but further scouting required

There may be no need to make an offer for Agehowa if new loan signings Rashford and Asensio end up staying on at Villa Park past May, but there is no guarantees that either will sign a permanent deal.

The deal for Rashford, who has made three appearances for his new club, includes a £40m purchase option, but it is not compulsory for Villa to trigger that clause should he fail to recapture the form that earned him 60 England caps, while Rashford himself would have the option to move elsewhere should he impress.

The deal for PSG attacking midfielder Asensio does not include a buy option, although he is not a natural striker in any case. That leaves Villa in a position where they need to look for a new striker to sign in the summer if required.

In other news, Unai Emery has issued an injury update ahead of the club’s game against Chelsea this weekend, which comes hot on the heels of a 2-2 draw against league leaders Liverpool on Wednesday night.