Aston Villa snubbed deadline day approaches from two Prem rivals for ‘special’ £40m ace

 

Jhon Duran is staying at Aston Villa after Unai Emery’s side rejected loan bids from Premier League rivals Chelsea and West Ham United on transfer deadline day.

A saga that rumbled on throughout the summer ended up with nothing happening in the end.

Jhon Duran, despite so much speculation and no shortage of interest, is still an Aston Villa player, and will remain as such until the winter at least.

Chelsea and West Ham United were the two clubs most frequently mentioned in conjunction with the 20-year-old Colombia international. Duran’s agent confirmed that he was on The Blues’ radar at the start of the window, while West Ham submitted a £35 million bid just before the new Premier League season kicked off.

Aston Villa, for what it’s worth, were holding out for £40 million.

Aston Villa snub Chelsea and West Ham’s Jhon Duran offers

HITC can now confirm that both Chelsea and West Ham made one final stab at Duran before Friday’s 11pm deadline.

The London duo attempted to sign the former Chicago Fire youngster on loan, though those approaches were dismissed by a Villa side who had already decided to keep Duran and would have had very little time to sign a replacement anyway.

Duran had grown frustrated with his lack of regular starts at Aston Villa last term. He was included in Emery’s XI for only three Premier League fixtures in 2023/24.