Chelsea are extremely interested in Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran and Unai Emery should negotiate a deal which sees a ‘superb’ talent arrive at Villa Park.
It’s been a busy start to the summer for Aston Villa, who look set to offload two players in this transfer window.
Juventus are close to completing the signing of midfielder Douglas Luiz, as Samuel Iling-Junior and Weston McKennie prepare to be part of that swap deal.
Luiz isn’t the only potential departure from Villa Park as Jhon Duran is wanted by Premier League rivals Chelsea but as reported by Fabrizio Romano, Villa will only sell on the condition that a player is included in the deal.
Who could Aston Villa get in return for Jhon Duran?
Villa are demanding a £40 million fee for the 20-year-old, who has made it abundantly clear he wants to join Chelsea, with Romano confirming that Duran has made the Blues his ‘priority’.
There are several players whose futures are up in the air at Stamford Bridge. Emery’s side have recently been linked to midfielder Conor Gallagher, who wants to decide his future after the Euro 2024 tournament.
Gallagher would be an ideal replacement for the departing Luiz however, it has now been reported that Chelsea are looking to secure a new deal for the 24-year-old.
Luckily, there are several other talented players that Villa can choose from including, French midfielder Wesley Ugochukwu and winger Raheem Sterling but there is one player in particular who Emery should be looking at.
Ian Maatsen resolves left-back problem for Unai Emery
A position that Emery is looking to improve this summer is at left-back.
Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne are his current options but the Spaniard will be looking for a long-term replacement for the duo, who are both in their thirties.
Iling-Junior, who looks set to arrive from Juventus, can play as a left-back however, signing Chelsea’s Ian Maatsen would enable the 20-year-old to play more advanced.
Maatsen is currently third choice at Stamford Bridge, and although Enzo Maresca could look at him in pre-season, it’s difficult to imagine the 22-year-old dislodging either Ben Chilwell or Marc Cucurella.
The Dutch dynamo spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, where he featured 23 times in all competitions and reached a Champions League final.
Lauded as ‘superb’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Maatsen produced exceptional attacking metrics in the Bundesliga, ranking in the top 10% of full-backs for progressive passes and the top 16% for progressive carries per 90.
A progressive and dangerous ball-carrying demon, the talented youngster would bring exceptional energy down the left flank for Emery and would serve as an upgrade for Digne and Moreno.
Maatsen has not only shown he’s Champions League-level standard, but he has age on his side.
Meanwhile, landing him from Stamford Bridge could also allow Villa to sell one of Digne or Moreno, amid previous interest in their signatures.
