Jhon Duran has now made his preferences clear ahead of the summer transfer window with Aston Villa poised to part ways with the striker.
It’s been a busy start to the summer for Aston Villa, who look set to offload two players in the upcoming transfer window.
Douglas Luiz’s move to Juventus has gathered significant pace, as Samuel Iling-Junior and Weston McKennie prepare to be part of the swap deal.
As well as the Brazilian, Unai Emery is expected to bid farewell to Jhon Duran, with his transfer preference now made clear.
Jhon Duran prioritises Chelsea amid talk of Aston Villa exit
Duran was linked with a move to Chelsea in January however, nothing materialised as Emery was reluctant to offload the 20-year-old.
Now, the Spaniard’s stance on the striker has changed, with Duran now likely to leave Villa this summer.
The Guardian claim that Villa will demand a fee as high as £40m for the forward, with Fabrizio Romano now providing a further update on the situation.
The renowned journalist claimed that negotiations are ‘ongoing’, with Duran now clear on the fact that Chelsea are his ‘priority’ ahead of other clubs eyeing his services.
Romano went on to state that terms as far as his possible contract are ‘already being discussed’, suggesting that the deal is nearing an advanced stage.
Duran’s mind has always been on Chelsea
Since Chelsea’s reported interest in Duran in January, the Colombian’s eyes seem to have been fixed on a possible move to Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old deleted his photos associated with Villa after the links and has since been active on X publicly liking Chelsea-related content.
Added to that, when the Blues came to Villa Park in April, Duran was spotted hugging Mauricio Pochettino, adding fuel to the speculation that Chelsea were still admirers of the forward.
Losing Duran is a significant loss for Villa given his potential in front of goal at such a young age however, Emery does not want to enter a scenario of keeping a player at the club who doesn’t want to be there.
It will be interesting to see how the deal develops, considering that talks accumulated in the summer from Villa’s reported interest in Conor Gallagher.
If Monchi and Emery can secure a deal for £40m for Duran to depart, it would be an exceptional piece of business for a player who is far from being part of the manager’s immediate plans.
