West Ham offer Aston Villa ‘next Frank Lampard’ in £30m deal as former £63m Real Madrid star offered to Wolves

West Ham United are doing everything they can to try and strike a deal for Aston Villa prodigy Jhon Duran this summer.

The 20-year-old forward, who has fired in eight goals in 49 appearances in all competitions since making the move from Chicago in 2023, has already agreed personal terms with the Hammers over a five-year deal as negotiations between the two clubs over a transfer fee continue to drag on.

West Ham currently only have veterans Michail Antonio and Danny Ings at their disposal in the centre forward position and are keen to add Duran to their ranks to take some of the pressure off last season’s top goalscorer Jarrod Bowen.

The Athletic understands that the Hammers have submitted an offer in the region of £30m for Duran, in a deal which would also see promising 18-year-old midfielder Lewis Orford move the other way.

Orford is yet to make his first team debut for West Ham but is widely considered to be one of the club’s best up and coming talents. The youngster has been in the academy since he was five-years old and was promoted to the U21 team at just 15-years of age.

He signed his first professional contract at the age of 17 and was notably a key member of the young Hammers squad the FA Youth Cup in 2023 and the U18 Premier League South.

His performances have earned him recognition for England’s U16 and U18 squad and journalist John Brewin has compared his attributes to Chelsea icon Frank Lampard.

Wolves offered chance to sign former Real Madrid superstar

Wolves are in the running to make one of the shock signings of the transfer window, according to reports from Football Fan Cast.

The outlet claims that Gary O’Neil’s side have been offered the chance to sign former Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Everton midfielder James Rodriguez this summer.

Rodriquez rose to prominence during successful spells at Porto and Monaco as a youngster, but it was his form for Colombia during the 2014 World Cup which earmarked him as one of the most talented players of his generation.

The midfielder was awarded the Golden Ball during that tournament which earned him a £63m move to Real Madrid. Rodriquez thrived in his early years in the capital and lifted the league and two Champions League’s shortly after arriving. However, injuries have since hampered his career and though he has shown signs of brilliance at both Bayern Munich and Everton he often struggled for first team minutes.

Over the course of the last three seasons, the Colombian has spent time at Al Rayyan, Olympiakos and Sao Paulo with many assuming his best days were behind him. However, in this summer’s Copa America he has catapulted himself back into the spotlight by winning the Player of the Tournament after recording one goal and six assists.

Rodriguez is currently a free agent and is in the twilight years of his career, but his recent performances have proved that he could still be a game changer if he was to remain matchfit.