Aston Villa are reportedly edging closer to reaching an agreement with Al-Nassr over the transfer of Jhon Duran.
The 21-year-old has put a contentious summer behind him to establish himself as a key figure for Unai Emery so far this season, scoring 12 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions.
READ MORE: Villa turn down significant bid for talisman but one key exit possible
Aside from his goals, there have been encouraging signs that the Colombian international is starting to adapt and mature into a reliable option for the Villa boss, and that in turn has resulted in him pushing Ollie Watkins for a starting berth.
However, it seems as though speculation over his future and a potential exit is never too far away, as on the eve of our crunch Champions League clash with Celtic, rumours are circulating once again over a possible exit for the Villa frontman.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Al-Nassr are said to be on the verge of reaching a verbal agreement with Villa for the signing of Duran, in a deal that could be worth in excess of €75m with add-ons.
However, he stresses that there is no agreement or formal deal as of yet, and so time will tell if the two clubs move forward with a transfer in the coming days.
It comes after Romano reported that Villa had rejected a £60m offer from Arsenal for Ollie Watkins, and so it sets up a critical decision for the club over which striker they approve an exit for ahead of the January transfer window deadline, if either end up leaving at all.
At 21 years of age, Duran is arguably seen as the long-term solution to lead the Villa line for many more years, but ultimately Watkins is the more complete and experienced striker and remains Emery preferred option for now as we target success and silverware sooner rather than later.
In turn, Villa face a pivotal decision on Duran’s future, as we either cash in on a significant fee and reinvest, or rebuff all interest in both, and continue to build as we are with the potential of reinforcements arriving anyway.
All our focus will be on Celtic on Wednesday night, but it promises to be a busy and absolutely fundamental few days to follow in the transfer market based on the reports above.
