The Hammers set off for Duran, Villa still wants more

We've been waiting quite a while to finally see some serious business in world football, and just a few days after PSG made the transfer of the current window by signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for 70 million euros, West Ham could create total chaos and become the owner of the most expensive transfer of January. Reliable British journalist David Ornstein and the renowned The Athletic have exclusively reported that West Ham has made a move to sign Jhon Duran and has submitted an official offer to Aston Villa worth over 70,000,000 including bonuses.

However, West Ham's initial offer was rejected. Aston Villa recently faced interest from Paris Saint-Germain for the Colombian striker, but with the arrival of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, everything has quieted down. However, that doesn't mean he isn't interesting to other clubs—specifically, West Ham, which is in desperate need of a striker.

PSG run after Duran

Let’s recall that Michail Antonio has yet to recover from the aftermath of the car accident he suffered last month, while Niclas Fullkrug was recently injured and could be out for three months. For this reason, West Ham must find a striker to avoid a relegation battle in the remainder of the season.

Duran is the club's first-choice target, but Aston Villa reportedly has no intention of selling their striker this winter. He has a contract with the club until June 2030, so Villa Park does not need to rush their decision. This isn't the first time West Ham has shown interest in the Colombian, as this story dates back to last June. Back then, the London club offered just under 40,000,000 along with their teenage prospect, Lewis Orford, but that deal also fell through. Interestingly, Duran scored a goal against West Ham at the start of the season, and during the time when his potential move to London was being discussed, he even flashed the famous hammer sign during an Instagram live session, sending fans into a frenzy.

Duran has been a true sensation and is enjoying a fantastic season in which Aston Villa is competing in the Champions League. He has scored 12 goals across all competitions, despite starting only seven times under Unai Emery. He joined Villa exactly two years ago from Chicago Fire, but Emery has given preference to Ollie Watkins. We’ll see if West Ham succeeds in making the signing of the winter.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 7

Tuesday

20:45: (2.55) AS Monaco (3.50) Aston Villa (2.85)

20:45: (1.22) Atalanta (6.50) Sturm Graz (12.0)

23:00: (2.40) Atlético Madrid (3.45) Bayer Leverkusen (3.15)

23:00: (3.10) Benfica (4.00) Barcelona (2.20)

23:00: (3.40) Bologna (3.50) Borussia Dortmund (2.25)

23:00: (3.30) Club Brugge (3.30) Juventus (2.25)

23:00: (4.50) Crvena zvezda (4.05) PSV (1.80)

23:00: (1.30) Liverpool (6.50) Lille (10.0)

23:00: (10.0) Slovan Bratislava (6.50) Stuttgart (1.25)

***odds are subject to change***