Aston Villa have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with West Ham Utd over the transfer of Jhon Duran, in a deal said to be worth close to £35m.
The 20-year-old joined us in January 2023, and he has since gone on to score eight goals in 49 appearances across all competitions.
READ MORE: Why Villa ace’s exit is disappointing but ultimately the smart decision
Despite having to settle for a limited role behind Ollie Watkins, Duran has been an important option for Unai Emery during his time at the club, as given his attributes and strengths, he has been capable of offering a different dynamic in the final third to either give us an alternative look in front of goal or compliment what Watkins offers.
However, he has been wildly inconsistent over that period, as although he has produced big moments and is undoubtedly a real talent, he evidently continued to struggle to adapt to Emery’s tactical demands last season, thus resulting in his continued bit-part contribution.
According to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra, Duran is now close to joining West Ham as a verbal agreement has been reached between the two clubs for a deal worth around £35m, and he suggests that the formalities of the move are expected to be completed very soon.
Time will tell if that proves to be accurate, but it certainly builds on the significant speculation that we’ve seen to date regarding Duran’s future, and so time will tell if he’s on the verge of leaving us and adding more funds for Emery and the Villa recruitment team to go out and continue to strengthen the squad.
On one hand, it will be disappointing to see Duran depart if a deal materialises, given the potential that he has and it had been hoped that things would start to click for him in a Villa shirt and that he could become a more important and reliable option for Emery as time went on.
That said, given his lack of development and adaptability to show consistent improvement in his performances as a whole to earn that increase in playing time, coupled with ongoing talk of his off-the-pitch character flaws and concerns as well as multiple interviews in which he has welcomed interest from other clubs, it does feel as though it would be the right decision for all concerned to now part ways.
