Arsenal fail with £46 million bid to sign 20-year-old Premier League star: Reports
Arsenal have reportedly failed with their recent transfer offer to sign Aston Villa star Jhon Duran in the upcoming January transfer window.
Duran, who joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire for an initial £14 million in January 2023, has lately attracted attention from a host of clubs. He has impressed with his fine performances this season as he has scored eight goals in 580 minutes of first-team action for his club.
According to Colombian radio station Antena 2, Aston Villa are unwilling to let go of Duran unless their desired price is met. They recently rejected a £46 million bid for the 20-year-old Colombian from Arsenal.
Aston Villa, who tied Duran down to a new deal last month, are reportedly willing to enter negotiations for a sum of in the region of £71 million.
Duran, whose current contract will expire in June 2030, has scored 16 goals in just 1809 minutes of action for Unai Emery's side. The Envigado academy product has started 13 of his 65 total appearances for them.
Should the Barcelona and Chelsea-linked attacker move to Arsenal, he would offer Kai Havertz excellent competition in the number nine role.
Alan Shearer predicts Arsenal-Chelsea result
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has stated that Arsenal will play out a draw at Chelsea in their Premier League game on November 10. He wrote in his column for Metro:
"The midfield is probably where this game will be won and lost. [Declan] Rice and [Thomas] Partey against [Moises] Caicedo and [Romeo] Lavia is a good battle because you're talking about good midfielders that enjoy handling the ball."
Predicting a couple of sending-offs in the clash, Shearer concluded:
"The game against Chelsea is a 'must not get beat game' for Arsenal. I don't care who you are, the potential of sitting 10 points behind Liverpool is a lot at this level, and they can't afford too many more defeats. There will be fireworks, and it wouldn't surprise me if we saw a red card or two, but I'll go for a draw on Sunday."
The Gunners, who finished second last campaign, are currently in fifth place in the Premier League table with 18 points from 10 outings. The Blues are fourth with 18 points, boasting a higher goal difference of +8.
Mikel Arteta's side have registered seven victories, two draws, and just one defeat in ther last 10 total meetings against the west London outfit.