Aston Villa reportedly have no intention of selling any more key players as Jhon Duran closes in on a move to Al-Nassr.
Ahead of our crunch Champions League clash with Celtic on Wednesday night, speculation was rife over the futures of both Duran and Ollie Watkins with the pair linked with exits ahead of the transfer deadline.
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While Villa were able to get the job done and advance to the last 16 with a win, focus quickly switched back to our transfer business in the final days of the January window.
As per David Ornstein, Duran has now completed his medical and will finalise his move to Al-Nassr on Friday, with a deal worth €77m plus bonuses agreed, as well as personal terms.
Importantly, Ornstein goes on to note that Villa have no further intention to sell any other key players, and so that hopefully closes the door on a potential Watkins exit and any other high-profile losses.
While it’s a blow to lose Duran given the 21-year-old has started to make a more consistent impact this season with 12 goals in 29 appearances and was showing maturity and growth overall, that is a significant fee to help our PSR position moving forward and to reinvest in the squad with reinforcements.
Unai Emery made it pretty clear in his post-match interviews on Wednesday that it was ultimately Duran who wanted the move, given his personal desire to keep the Colombian international at the club, and so it looks as though the Villa forward has got his wish.
Losing both strikers this month would never have been an option, and while ideally Villa arguably would have liked to keep them both, Duran’s exit makes sense given the fee involved and how important Watkins remains as Emery’s preferred option to lead the line.
It’s hoped that we bring in our priority targets to strengthen the squad off the back of this exit though, as we have voids to fill in defence and up front to ensure we have the competition and depth required to continue to compete across multiple fronts this season and beyond.
Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia have already arrived while Diego Carlos and Jaden Philogene have departed, and with a flurry of loan exits also now confirmed, further activity is expected up until the window closes.
