Aston Villa boss Unai Emery open to selling player with 'world class potential'

Jhon Duran has been one of the stand-out names in the Premier League so far this season having scored four goals in Aston Villa's opening five games. Three of those have been match-winning goals and the Colombian added to his goal tally in last night's Carabao Cup victory over Wycombe Wanderers.

Despite his impressive start to the season, Danny Rust and Ben Jacobs (GIVEMESPORT) have reported that Villa manager Unai Emery could still be open to selling the 20-year-old when the January transfer window opens.

Duran's tricky transfer business

Duran has scored five goals across all competitions this season, and his goal last night against Wycombe Wanderers once again proved to be the match-winning goal. His impressive start to the season, which has seen him score a goal every 34 minutes on average (better than any other player in the league), has helped to rebuild his connection with the fans, players, and staff following a turbulent summer of transfer activity.

During the summer, Duran reportedly came close to sealing a move away from the club on multiple ocassions. Frustrated at his lack of playing time since arriving at Villa in January 2023, the forward maintained the belief that he's good enough to be starting regularly in the Premier League and therefore looked to move elsewhere. Chelsea held a very strong interest in the early stages of the summer transfer window, but were unwilling to meet Villa's £40 million asking price. Weeks later, he came close to a move to West Ham United who made several offers to take him. However, they too were unwilling to meet the club's asking price and Duran therefore stayed at Villa Park.

The young forwards social media activity in his attempts to force a move did not go down well with the fans. Duran had been seen interacting regularly with Chelsea posts on X and Instagram, and then performed the Hammers logo on an Instagram live feed at a time where the move was reportedly close to going through. As a result, Duran came back to the club following his participation in the Copa America under heavy scrutiny and has had to make up for his actions with good performances and scoring goals.

A move away could be back on

It is believed Emery is open to cashing in on Duran, whose transfer value is likely to be at least £40 million due to his early season performances. It remains improbable that Duran will ever replace Villa's leading man up front in Ollie Watkins, and because of Emery's successful 4-2-3-1 system, Duran will unlikely start many games if Watkins remains fit.

It has also been reported that Spanish giants Barcelona hold an interest in signing Duran due to his impressive performances of late, and could well make a move to sign the player in January. By the midway point of the season, should Duran have not started many more games then the frustration is likely to grow once more.

However, it is only likely that Emery would allow Duran, whose contract doesn't come to an end until 2028. to leave if the funds were to be reinvested in the squad. It is not in Emery's best interest to sell Duran half way through the season, and would rather have him for the entirety of the campaign before reassessing options next summer.

UTV