Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is set to have a key role in sending a striker to West Ham United this summer.
TalkSport reports that the Hammers have moved into position to sign Jhon Duran from Aston Villa – a player who the Blues have been looking to sign for several months.
Negotiations between Chelsea and Villa were extensive, but it now appears that the Blues have given up on signing the Colombia international following deals to sign Omari Kellyman from the Villans and Marc Guiu from Barcelona.
READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals
One of the reasons that the Blues’ Duran talks broke down was that they were unable to find a suitable player to include in the swap deal. Gallagher had been earmarked as that star, but he refused to move to the Villa Park outfit.
West Ham are set to pounce, with TalkSport reporting that the London side have added Duran to their summer transfer shortlist amid claims that the striker, who is currently at the Copa America with Colombia, is not a prominent part of Unai Emery’s plans as Aston Villa.
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Duran needs rejuvenated
Duran joined Aston Villa in 2022 from the Chicago Fire for a fee of €16.6 million but has struggled to live up to that billing, although at just 20 years old, he remains a player to watch for the future.
Nevertheless, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has diminished to €6.9m, having hit a high of €11.9m a year ago.
He has scored eight goals in 49 outings for Aston Villa to date.
Data analytics firm SciSports believe Duran has the potential to become a first-team player at West Ham but would arrive only as a hot prospect.
A poacher in terms of his style, the forward was one of the poorer-performing strikers in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign, SciSports indicate.
Duran will hope that a transfer might unlock his best level once again.
West Ham summer transfers
West Ham summer signings
| Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Guilherme | Palmeiras | €23m |
| Wes Foderingham | Sheff Utd | Free Transfer |
West Ham summer sales
| Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Said Benrahma | Lyon | €14.4m |
| Thilo Kehrer | Monaco | €11m |
| Nathan Trott | FC Kopenhagen | €1.5m |
| Ben Johnson | Ipswich | Free Transfer |
| Joseph Anang | St Patrick’s | Free Transfer |
| Angelo Ogbonna | Free Agent | Free Transfer |
| Divin Mubama | Free Agent | Free Transfer |