“He wants to play for Chelsea and it’s happening soon” – Fabrizio Romano confirms €50m player wants Chelsea move
When Jhon Duran was originally mentioned by Chelsea back in January, the rumors looked out of the blue, but they have been circulating ever since and are now highly credible.
Fabrizio Romano went so far as to publicly state yesterday that talks are “ongoing” and that “Duran wants Chelsea,” implying that he is “giving them priority over Italian clubs.”
He seems to be interested in the move, and Chelsea’s sporting directors have recognized his raw potential and ability to contribute to the team. Even after a respectable stint with Villa, he lacks experience, but he possesses the necessary tools.
Unai Emery’s team are in a strong bargaining position – but they need money for their FFP compliance, and getting a decent offer for a backup player may prove irresistible for them.
A dilemma for the striker
Duran is in a very interesting position here. He’s clearly fancied by a lot of teams, as he has Chelsea as well as these unnamed “Italian clubs” interested in him.
But Aston Villa are in the Champions League, meaning next year there will be more chances for him to perform, and on a much bigger stage. In a way, from his point of view, it would be a risk to throw that away. If he holds on 12 months, he can expect to leverage an even bigger move with an even bigger salary.
But football is a funny old game, and a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Moving from Aston Villa’s bench to Chelsea’s bench is a sideways move at best, but perhaps the bump in wages will swing him, and perhaps he fancies his chances of dislodging Nicolas Jackson more than he does his chances of getting minutes ahead of the prolific Ollie Watkins.