The word “enigma” has become overused in football, but in Durán’s case it’s the perfect way to describe a chaotic, mysterious, incredible, but baffling footballer.
From a pure talent and potential perspective, few can hold a candle to him. He has scored 20 goals for Aston Villa and almost all of them have been utterly remarkable, from his swerving Goal of the Season contender against Everton, to his audacious lob against Bayern Munich, barely a month goes by without him doing something to send jaws to the floor.
The conundrum with the 21-year-old has been that outside of his delicious ball-striking and natural nose for goal, his game is unrefined — a fact hammered home by the sheer contrast in his understanding of holdup, pressing and game management to Villa teammate Ollie Watkins.
The two have struggled to co-exist, in part because they struggle to play together, but also because they both demand to be first choice. Something was going to give in 2025 and it’s no surprise that it’s Durán that departs, as Unai Emery understandably prefers Watkins’ reliability over the Colombia international’s maverick nature.
That, plus the fact a fee of £64.5m plus bonuses should effectively solve any Profit and sustainability rules (PSR) concerns Villa may have had this campaign, makes it an opportunity the club can’t pass up.
OTHER RUMORS play 1:58
Moreno: Jhon Durán transfer should be a ‘no-brainer’ for Aston Villa
Alejandro Moreno, Craig Burley and Steve Nicol discuss the transfer rumors surrounding Aston Villa forwards Jhon Durán and Ollie Watkins.
– Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are among those keen to land teenage Southampton winger Tyler Dibling . (Sun )
– Juventus have sent a €1.5m bid to Dinamo Zagreb to sign 17-year-old centre-back Leon Jakirović . (Fabrizio Romano )
– Bayer Leverkusen are close to sealing the deal to sign Brighton striker Evan Ferguson on loan, but Victor Boniface will have to leave for Saudi Arabia first. (Telegraph )
– Ajax are interested in Barcelona winger Ansu Fati , 22, which see the Calatan club able to sign Marcus Rashford on loan from Man United. (De Telegraaf )
– Multiple clubs in Europe are in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic , who is currently at FC Salzburg on loan. The 20-year-old is reported to prefer a move to Las Palmas, who are at the front of the queue for him, but there is competition from Real Valladolid, Getafe, and FC Porto. (Relevo )
– Newcastle United are ready to make an offer to sign Galway United’s 18-year-old winger Kyle Fitzgerald . (Football Insider )
– Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei , 22, was set to join Lazio but now Torino are favourites to sign him. (Gianluca Di Marzio )
– Tottenham have failed in their attempts to sign three Chelsea players — Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall — on loan. (Caught Offside )
– Marseille have joined the race to sign Newcastle United defender Lloyd Kelly, 26. (L’Équipe )
– Lille star Mohamed Bayo has caught the eye of Ipswich and Besiktas and is likely to leave before the deadline. (L’Équipe )
