Jhon Duran of Aston Villa during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 training session at Bodymoor Heath training ground on January 20, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
West Ham have a long-held interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran, but the Villains have recently turned down a club record bid of £57m bid from the East Londoners.
According to The Telegraph (subscription required), Unai Emery and Monchi have no interest whatsoever in selling their talismanic striker and, in any event, have put a price of £80m on his head.
West Ham’s £57m bid for Jhon Duran turned down
That’s despite the Colombian still not being a regular starter for his manager.
It’s understood that West Ham had another bid for Duran recently turned down, as they look for a striker able to replace Niclas Fullkrug and fire them up the Premier League table.
The Hammers need for a striker was never better evidenced than in their recent home match against Crystal Palace.
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The hosts were toothless throughout the match, rarely creating chances and not giving their supporters anything to get excited about.
Aston Villa fans might still be worried that Duran will move on at some point, particularly if he’s unable to force his way into the starting XI, but for now the striker remains very much part of the squad at Villa Park.
Jhon Duran could force transfer issue
From Graham Potter’s point of view, time is against West Ham.
There are just 10 days left of the January transfer window, and every other club knows how desperate the East Londoners are to land a front man.
That means there’s likely to be a hefty transfer premium added to any deal, and the Hammers will be forced to pay it if they want to at least have a chance of finishing in a relatively secure mid-table berth.
Should Duran cause more off-field issues at Villa in the coming days – remembering that the player thought he was off to West Ham in the summer – there’s an outside chance a deal gets done.