Aston Villa have rejected a bid worth £57m from West Ham for striker Jhon Duran.
Villa do not want to sell and it is understood they value Duran upwards of £70m.
West Ham have a long-standing interest in Duran – who recently extended his contract until 2030 – and new West Ham boss Graham Potter is known to be a big admirer.
The Hammers tried to sign Duran in the summer but failed to meet Villa’s valuation.
The 21-year-old has scored seven Premier League goals in 19 appearances this season, with Ollie Watkins used as Unai Emery’s preferred forward.
He moved to Villa Park from MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2023 but just seven of his 54 league appearances have come as a starter.
Can Villa offer enough opportunity to sustain Duran?
Duran is currently Villa’s back-up striker to Ollie Watkins
Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
“West Ham are testing the waters with this bid. Clearly they believe an amount of money close to that submission would be enough to, at the very least, tempt Villa to the negotiation table.
“It was not long ago that Duran was naively throwing up an ‘Irons’ sign on Instagram live after hearing of the Londoners’ summer interest. He swiftly reneged on that, and has since proved his value to Villa with 12 goals across all competitions.
“Ollie Watkins believes the pair can play together – he said so after Villa’s draw with Arsenal on Saturday. The man to convince, however, is Unai Emery, who appears reluctant to start Watkins and Duran as a trusted partnership.
“The questions remains whether 602 minutes of Premier League football is really enough to sustain Duran’s growing appetite. This is a striker capable of leading the line at a number of top clubs, and currently has his pathway blocked by the reliability and experience of Watkins.”
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