West Ham Utd have reportedly offered an improved proposal of £32m plus Lewis Orford and a sell-on clause to Aston Villa in exchange for Jhon Duran.
After playing a limited role last season, the 20-year-old Colombian international is widely expected to move on this summer, having also publicly welcomed interest from other clubs this week.
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Speculation has been building over his future, and now Fabrizio Romano reports that West Ham have made an offer worth £32m plus Orford in exchange as well as a sell-on clause, and so it remains to be seen if that’s enough to convince Villa to give the transfer the green light, or if we keep pushing for more value.
Duran has scored eight goals in 49 appearances for Villa, and having had to settle for a back-up role behind Ollie Watkins last season and with no sign of that changing, his desire to move is likely to be motivated by wanting a more prominent role.
Given his lack of consistent impact in games, his difficulty adapting to Unai Emery’s tactical structure and way of playing and the off-the-pitch issues that have soured his time with us, it seems like a smart move from Villa to offload him in this window, and hopefully that will fund our push for more reinforcements that better suit Emery’s demands.
Romano hints that Villa value Duran at £40m, and so time will tell if the inclusion of Orford and a sell-on clause is enough to convince us to allow the drop in the fee, and approve a deal to continue the rebuilding of this squad.
Orford, 18, has been touted as a top prospect having impressed at youth level for the Hammers and England, and so it will be interesting to see if Villa are keen on adding him to the first-team group if he makes the switch, if perhaps it’s seen as a good business opportunity to cash in on the homegrown player at a later date following a successful loan.
That’s the level of intrigue that surrounds our moves in the transfer market now with Monchi at the helm, but ultimately an exit for Duran certainly makes sense. It’s hoped we get the fee we want to reinvest and be able to land our top targets to replace him and add more quality and depth in the final third, and accepting this improved offer might be the best chance of that happening.