Arsenal had £45 million bid rejected for Chelsea target in red-hot form during summer window - Reports
Arsenal had a £45.2m bid for Chelsea target Jhon Duran rejected by Aston Villa, according to Colombian radio station Antena 2. The 20-year-old striker is hot property in the European circuit following his superb form with the Villans.
Duran arrived at Villa Park in the summer of 2023 from Chicago Fire and enjoyed an impressive debut campaign, scoring eight goals in 37 gmaes. In the ongoing season, the Colombian has already scored eight times from 16 appearances, most of which have been from the bench.
Arsenal are looking for a new striker at the moment and apparently have their sights on Duran. The Gunners even submitted their opening offer for the young striker, but it didn't match Aston Villa's asking price and was rejected.
The Birmingham-based club are open to the Colombian's exit but apparently want around £70.7m for him. Chelsea have also been linked with the player of late, as they continue their search for a striker.
The Blues put all their efforts into securing the services of Victor Osimhen from Napoli this summer but failed to convince him to move. Chelsea could return for the Nigerian in 2025 but are keeping their options open.
Meanwhile, Arsenal also wanted to sign Benjamin Sesko over the summer. However, the Slovenian opted against a move to the Emirates and extended his stay with RB Leipzig.
How many goals have Arsenal and Chelsea scored this season?
Chelsea and Arsenal both lack an established No. 9 in their roster but have performed admirably in front of the goal this season. The Gunners are fifth in the Premier League after 10 games and have found the back of the net 17 times. The north London side have scored 28 goals in 16 games across competitions this season.
The Blues, meanwhile, are fourth in the league and have scored 20 times in 10 games. Chelsea have scored 44 times in 17 games across competitions this season. Christopher Nkunku is their top scorer so far, finding the back of the net 10 times in 16 games.
Cole Palmer has been in the mix once again, registering seven goals in 12 games in all competitions. Meanwhile, Nicolas Jackson has six goals from 11 games for Enzo Maresca's side.
Elsewhere, Kai Havertz has scored the most goals for Arsenal this season, registering seven strikes in 16 games. Bukayo Saka hasn't been his usual prolific self though, registering four goals from 14 games across competitions.