West Ham United pull out of deal to sign Aston Villa forward

Jhon Duran now looks likely to remain at Aston Villa, for the time being at least, as West Ham United have confirmed they are withdrawing from negotiations to sign the young forward.

According to TalkSport, West Ham are not willing to improve their offer to sign the Colombian after Aston Villa rejected an offer in the region of £35 million. Villa have been strict with their £40 million valuation of the player and now the complicated transfer, that has been made more difficult by the players actions on social media, is unlikely to happen.

West Ham have been left frustrated by Villa's stance on the fee needed to see Duran leave Villa and have decided to turn their attention to other targets. Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Niclas Fullkrug now appears to be the Hammers top target.

The news will come as a blow to Duran, Aston Villa and the Villa fans after a deal to see him leave was so close to being agreed. Duran has been active this summer in his efforts to force a move away from Villa Park in order to gain more playing time. The 20-year-old started just three of his 23 Premier League appearances last season, largely due to the impressive form of Aston Villa's main forward Ollie Watkins. With Unai Emery a fan of playing one forward it would be unlikely Duran would play any more than that next season. Hence the reason Duran has been actively seeking a move.

The start of the summer saw social media activity from the player suggest that he was desperate for a move to Chelsea but talks between the two clubs didn't last long. Chelsea were only willing to offer a fee of £20 million and they had considered Jhon Duran's wages and attitude as other potential problems. A few weeks later, Duran participated in an Instagram Live session on his social media which saw him make the Hammers sign to the camera. This of course is West Ham's crest.

The actions of the Colombian have not gone down well with Villa fans and the vast majority have suggested there is no way for him to turn his Villa career around and a move away from the club would be best for all parties.

It has been reported that a deal with a Saudi club was close to being agreed but the player himself wanted to remain in the Premier League.

All concerned will be hopeful a deal will be reached within the next few days, particularly as Aston Villa are understood to be chasing high-profile players for potentially big money.

UTV