PL club want £40m fee for possible sale of Chelsea transfer target - Reports
Aston Villa have reportedly put a £40 million price tag on attacker Jhon Duran, who has been linked with a move to Chelsea. The Premier League side are said to be open to selling the striker but are unwilling to lower their asking price.
As per a report in The Times, Aston Villa are aware of the interest in Duran and are ready to let the youngster leave this summer. Chelsea have so far been the only club to show interest and are pushing to sign the Colombian this summer.
Unai Emery's side are looking to raise funds to stay within the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) limit and are keen on getting the deal done swiftly. They are also in talks with Juventus to sell Douglas Luiz in a player-plus-cash deal worth £17 million plus Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior.
Ron Vlaar, former Aston Villa defender, has urged Duran to stay at Villa Park and continue his development. He added that the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League should be tempting enough to stay and was quoted by Shropshire Star as saying:
"When he comes on he always tries to make a difference. The Champions League is something he must want to play in. Villa have a big squad and a lot of players have played a role through the season. It would be nice for them to continue together and make some improvements to the team to make it even better – and keep going."
Chelsea reportedly switched their focus back to Duran this week after their top target, Benjamin Sesko, signed a new deal at RB Leipzig.
Chelsea target urged to stay at Aston Villa by Don Goodman
Former Wolverhampton star Don Goodman has urged Jhon Duran to stick with Aston Villa and not jump on the chance to move to Chelsea. He believes that the 20-year-old still has raw potential and should find consistency.
He told 777 Score:
"Unai Emery strikes me as a very strong character, so if he doesn't want him to leave the football club he won't be going anywhere. He's a player who is young and we have seen the raw potential he has. The most difficult thing for youngsters is finding consistency, but he certainly has all the tools to be a very, very top striker in the Premier League. He's physical and knows where the net is."
He added:
"What separates the best strikers is the decision-making process and the decisions they make in the final third and the ones that make the right choices more often than not. They know when to pass, when to run, when to shoot, when to dribble and when to cross."
Aston Villa are reportedly looking to sign Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, a player the Blues are said to be willing to sell this summer.