Chelsea are reportedly signing Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran as they scour the market for short-term roles to bolster their attacking ranks. The striker has struggled for a few minutes so far this season in the Premier League, with Ollie Watkins being irreplaceable in Unai Emery’s side. Beginning XI.
Mauricio Pochettino has spoken brazenly about how Chelsea are looking for a new striker, Nicolas Jackson failed to convince in the opening months of the crusade despite scoring seven goals in 19 league games and his absence due to AFCON could change. It’s going to be a problem in the coming weeks.
The Blues are keen to sign a No. 9 who will lead the club’s long-term line, but their targets are unlikely to be met this month, with the hunt for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and English foreigner Ivan Toney. Rest until summer.
Therefore, Chelsea are looking for players who can have compatibility in their squad and offer a choice option in the final third place for the remainder of the campaign. According to Di Marzio, the Blues have “discussed internally” the signing of Duran from Villa this month.
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No decision has been made on whether to sign the 20-year-old at this stage, however, he is on the short list of features being explored through the club. Villa would also get any offer for Colombia’s overseas unless a replacement is provided.
Chelsea are also wondering if they want to sign a striker “urgently” and don’t want to move temporarily to sign a player who doesn’t improve their current squad and could therefore alter their long-term move plans later on.
Duran has struggled to break into Villa’s starting XI since joining the club from Chicago Fire FC last January, making 16 appearances on the bench in the Premier League so far this season. Therefore, the striker has only played 174 minutes in the league, although he has controlled to locate the defense twice despite his limited opportunities. Instead, Duran competed in the Europa Conference League and other cup competitions where his team was able to rotate freely.
The striker’s lack of minutes is largely due to the electric form of Watkins, who has already been linked with a move to Chelsea. The English foreigner has scored nine goals and assisted eight so far this season and is the face of Villa for most of the season. The smart four, with Emery’s team third in the Premier League and only two league leaders, Manchester City.
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