Aston Villa tipped to change Jhon Duran stance following Arsenal ‘contact’

Aston Villa have hammered home their desire to keep ahold of wonderkid striker Jhon Duran this winter but the mindset has been tipped to shift before the transfer deadline on February 3.

A whole host of top clubs across the Premier League and Europe have reportedly registered their interest in signing Duran this month, including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid. West Ham United saw a £57 million bid rejected according to The Athletic, while Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr are weighing up a potential approach.

West Ham’s alleged offer sparked a reaction from Villa as sources close to the club informed Birmingham World that the quoted £57 million figure was wide of the park. The timing of the news spreading also angered those among the club’s hierarchy as it was on the eve of the vital Champions League clash away at AS Monaco.

Unai Emery has spoken of his hope to keep Duran at Villa Park for the long-term but admits there are ‘circumstances’ which could change things. “Such circumstances, of course, in this moment are not helping us to be focusing 100 per cent, but Jhon Duran is our player and I am happy with him. I want him here with us,” Emery told the press last week.

Nonetheless, a fresh report from The Athletic - published on January 28 - suggests Duran could be for sale after all. Chief writer David Ornstein reports a firm decision is actually yet to be made for Duran with bids in the region of £80 million perhaps enough to lure the Colombian away.

Emery’s preference to play just one out-and-out striker in his system - and Ollie Watkins being first-choice - has left Duran frustrated. As a result, Ornstein explains there’s a growing sense at the football club that something has to give, with Duran potentially not as indispensable as first thought.

A separate report from transfer news specialist Fabrizio Romano suggests Arsenal have made contact with Villa over a potential Duran swoop as recently as the last fortnight. The Gunners are looking to reinforce their attack following Gabriel Jesus’ season-ending injury.

Jhon Duran’s exit has been plausible for a while

The Colombian signed a new contract in October but he wasn’t always keen on doing so as he at one point made it abundantly clear he wanted to leave Villa. Duran acted in a rather unprofessional fashion when first linked with West Ham as he made an irons gesture with his fists during a social media live stream.

That act prompted internal action from Villa and Emery had to speak directly with the player in an effort to calm him down. Duran ended up staying at the club and his first half or so of the season has been excellent, but even then he’s shown signs of immaturity – notably when he kicked his seat after being substituted against Bologna.

Duran and Emery have never quite seen eye to eye as the striker, who believes he is at a higher level than Watkins, has often displayed impatience. Those feelings are understandable, in fairness, as the 21-year-old has scored an impressive 12 goals in 1,058 minutes across all competitions this term, hitting the net every 88 minutes on average. Regardless of what happens before the deadline, Duran is one to keep an eye on.