Aston Villa backup striker Jhon Duran would be a qualified starter on the majority of Premier League sides, but with 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season candidate Ollie Watkins still firing on all cylinders, the Colombian has to settle for being one of the world’s finest backups.
Duran was mired in a transfer saga this past summer, but Aston Villa ultimately stuck to their guns and didn’t sell him to Premier League counterparts West Ham, Chelsea, or anyone else for that matter.
This season, Duran is off to a torrid start as arguably the biggest breakout striker in world football, scoring 4 league goals in 263 minutes for a whopping 1.37 goals per 90 minutes.
Aston Villa are very much in the thick of the Champions League race despite a poor recent run of results, including a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham and a shutout defeat to Club Bruges in Europe.
Further on the horizon, Aston Villa will have to worry about more poaches for Duran, even as the young striker seems loyal to Unai Emery and Villa despite initially wanting a move out of Villa Park.
Per a report from Fichajes, PSG manager Luis Enrique is now smitten with Jhon Duran while following his breakout performances in England and Europe, and he would like the Ligue 1 giants to make a signing.
PSG don’t have as much power as they used to with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Lionel Messi all gone, and they don’t have a true superstar – though Bradley Barcola could potentially become one.
The Parisians biggest attacking issue is that they don’t have a proven striker. Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani were big additions in 2023 who have flopped miserably, and PSG want to get rid of them both.
In truth, the Ligue 1 sides haven’t had a great out-and-out striker since letting Mauro Icardi go – a clinical finisher they didn’t fully appreciate during his time at the club.
Duran is an elite marksman in terms of his finishing and is a much better athlete than Ramos. He could be a great addition to PSG, who could be willing to make Aston Villa an offer they can’t refuse of more than double the amount that West Ham were unwilling to pay this past summer.
Although Duran is the future, he isn’t the starter. Watkins is. If Enrique, in search for the goals his PSG team is missing to be on top again, pushes hard enough, perhaps Aston Villa could be pressured into making a major sale.
