Aston Villa could face an important decision in the next week as Chelsea are reportedly considering making an offer for Jhon Duran before the transfer deadline.
The 20-year-old has played a limited role again so far this season, featuring 23 times while contributing four goals and an assist, but he has totalled 662 minutes of football in his back-up role to Ollie Watkins.
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Given our lack of depth in that position, Duran is a key member of Unai Emery’s squad, and so it seems unlikely that we would be willing to part company, and certainly not without identifying and securing a replacement to fill the void.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are interested in the Colombian international, and it’s suggested that they are weighing up the idea of making an offer before the end of this month, with the expectation that it would be a loan proposal following West Ham Utd’s failed attempt with a similar offer.
It’s added that their interest is ‘intensifying’ and that Duran is keen on getting more opportunities, and so it’s seemingly a situation to closely monitor as we head into the final week of the transfer window.
As noted above though, with Duran the only alternative option to Watkins to lead the line for us, an exit would leave us light up top and in need of addressing that before we green light a departure for the young striker.
The Telegraph note our interest in Middlesbrough’s Morgan Rogers, and so perhaps there could be a reshuffle in that department in the coming days if the pieces start to fall into place.
Duran has shown that he is a talent with a lot of potential, but he does need regular playing time to gain experience and develop his game, with an eye on being able to integrate into Emery’s system and style of play more effectively.
Would a move to Chelsea help him with that process? Would it benefit Villa in the long run? A permanent transfer to a direct Premier League rival doesn’t seem sensible and rather risky, so would it be a straight loan or would the agreement include an option or obligation to buy and we move in a different direction?
There are a lot of questions surrounding this particular rumour especially with the report light on specific details at this stage, and with so much on the line for us this season, it will be a fundamental decision from Emery and the Villa hierarchy as to who they believe would make us as competitive as possible between now and the end of the campaign.