Unai Emery’s Aston Villa rejected as many as 40 offers for their Colombian attacking sensation Jhon Duran during the summer.
Jhon Duran’s future was a big talking point throughout the summer. The Colombian attacking sensation was linked with a move away from the club, but Aston Villa managed to keep hold of him. According to a report from the Mirror, Unai Emery’s team rejected 40 offers for the young forward, who has the potential to be one of the world’s best in his position.
The Premier League outfit forked out £15 million to sign the Colombian international at the start of 2023 from Chicago Fire. While the English club rates him quite highly, he has only had a limited amount of game time so far.
Last season, the 20-year-old was involved in 37 matches but he racked up just over 1,100 minutes of first-team football. While he did impress everyone with his performances and even bagged eight goals, Duran was unhappy with the limited amount of game time.
Ollie Watkins’ exceptional form in the final third of the pitch made sure Duran was sat on the bench for the majority of the time. The lack of minutes frustrated the youngster and he was linked with a move away from the club.
Villa rejected 40 offers for Colombian sensation Duran
While he still has four years left on his deal at the English club, multiple clubs from across Europe were keen on his signature. Villa’s two recruitment chiefs have confirmed that they rejected a total of 40 offers for the youngster.
Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, talked about Duran’s situation at the club, as he was frustrated by being left on the bench because of Watkins’ presence in the team.
He said via the Mirror: “Ollie is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That’s normal because he wants to play. There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran – because everyone wanted him.”
While there was no shortage of interest in the 20-year-old striker’s services, Villa had no intentions of sanctioning his departure. Emery is keen on working with the youngster. He might not have been able to hand him enough minutes last season but the Spanish manager feels Duran could develop into one of the best strikers in world football in no time.
The Villa manager is absolutely convinced about the youngster’s abilities and wants to nurture and grow his talent. Emery’s decision to block a move away is already doing wonders for them, as Duran has two goals in just 82 minutes of first-team action while their star striker Watkins is yet to score his first goal of the season.
