West Ham tipped to beat Aston Villa to signature of former fan favourite as Wolves revive interest in forward

Aston Villa are expected to lose promising young forward Jhon Duran to Premier League rivals Chelsea, with Telegraph reporter Matt Law claiming that the Colombian sits top of their wanted list.

These claims have been backed up by Colombian publication En La Juganda RCN which reports that Villa have agreed to sell Duran for a fee close to £42m, less than 18 months on from his £18m arrival from Chicago Fire.

The deal for Duran to leave would come as a huge benefit to Aston Villa at a time when the team have been hit with concerns surrounding the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and it would also strike the team with another problem of not having an understudy to Ollie Watkins, particularly as they prepare for a Champions League campaign which will see them play a minimum of eight games as opposed to the traditional six.

One player deemed as a potential target for the West Midland side according to reports from Italian outlet Gazzetta is thought to be former fan favourite Tammy Abraham, who currently plays his football at AS Roma. Abraham fired in an incredible 26 goals in 40 appearances in the Championship in 2018/19 in a productive loan spell which saw him help the Villains to promotion via the play-offs.

He was hugely popular during his stint and was a top target for Dean Smith following promotion, but Chelsea, who were hit by a transfer embargo at the time, opted to keep Abraham as he enjoyed his Premier League breakthrough with 15 goals in 34 games.

The forward struggled to kick on at Stamford Bridge under Thomas Tuchel, but bounced back in an excellent debut season for Roma as he fired in 17 goals in 37 games while lifting the Europa Conference League in 2022.

Injuries have hampered his progress and it is claimed that the forward could be sold to raise funds elsewhere on the pitch for new manager Daniele De Rossi. However, as it stands West Ham are leading the race to sign the forward, who is available for a figure in the region of £25m, according to Gazetta.

Wolves push for Brazil international striker

Wolves are considering a move for Brazilian international forward Yuri Alberto, according to reports from FootballTransfers.

The outlet explains that Gary O’Neil’s side came close to sealing the move in January, but were unable to finalise the proposed loan deal with an option to buy due to a dispute over agent fees.

Wolves are keen to resolve this issue this summer and have made Alberto a target due to his impressive 13 goals in 24 matches across all competitions since the Brazilian campaign began in 2024.

Alberto is viewed as a player who could provide competition to fellow Brazil forward Mathues Cunha due to his excellent speed and ability to score a variety of different goals.

In recent times, his form has earned him a debut for the Brazil national team, though he is yet to add to the one cap that he picked up against Morocco in 2023.