West Ham United are hot on the heels of Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Hammers have already added Luis Guilherme from Palmeiras, Max Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers and free agent Wes Foderingham to the squad.
However, more signings are believed to be in the pipeline, and the club have now turned their attention to Villa’s Duran as part of Lopetegui’s plans to bolster his attacking options.
The Irons have previously been linked with Alexander Sorloth and Artem Dovbyk in recent weeks, but negotiations haven’t yielded results.
West Ham have now shifted their focus to the highly-rated Duran and have already agreed personal terms with him.
The Hammers have submitted multiple bids for the 20-year-old Colombian striker, with the latest offer reportedly reaching around £35 million with a 10% sell-on clause included.
Duran is an exciting talent for West Ham
Duran joined Villa from Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire in January 2023, but he could be on his way to the London Stadium after just a year and a half in Birmingham.
The talented striker has impressed in his limited time with the Villans, making 49 appearances and chipping in with eight goals across all competitions.
He found playing time hard to come by last season, starting just three of his 23 appearances in the Premier League.
Despite playing second fiddle to Villa’s top scorer, Ollie Watkins, Duran bagged five Premier League goals, including a stunning double in the penultimate game of the 2023/24 season.
His brace in the 3-3 draw against Liverpool was crucial to helping Villa clinch Champions League football, and he’d be an exciting addition to Lopetegui’s squad.
The 20-year-old still has plenty of potential to unlock, but his ceiling is very high. With increased playing time, he has all the tools to develop into a lethal finisher.
Stats from Sofascore.com.
