Jhon Duran leaving Aston Villa could create 'domino effect' | OneFootball

Aston Villa star Jhon Duran is 'available' to suitors during the final days of the winter window, and transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that the striker's departure from Villa Park could result in a 'flurry of deals' being rubber-stamped ahead of the deadline.

Kosta Nedeljkovic became the Villans' first acquisition of 2024 when he completed a £6.5million switch from Crvena Zvezda earlier this week, but the 18-year-old will spend the remainder of the campaign on loan with the Serbian champions before attempting to work his way into the forefront of boss Unai Emery's plans.

Villa have found themselves in the midst of an unexpected Premier League title race, having shown plenty of ambition during the summer and shattered their club-record transfer fee by recruiting Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, and there could be further incomings and outgoings ahead of February 1 as they aim to remain in contention for silverware.

Chelsea contemplating surprise move for Duran

Chelsea are mulling over whether to make a shock bid for Duran before the winter window slams shut in a matter of days, according to the Telegraph, as their interest has intensified as they look to add more strength in depth to their attacking options.

The report suggests that the Colombia international, who has been restricted to just seven starts in all competitions this season, has worked his way onto Blues chief Mauricio Pochettino's radar and he is seriously considering whether to up the ante in his pursuit.

Duran only sealed a £18million move from Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire 12 months ago, but he has struggled to win Emery over and been forced to play second-fiddle to Ollie Watkins in the Villa Park pecking order despite showing that he is a serious threat in the final third of the pitch.

Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley recently told GIVEMESPORT that the frontman is becoming increasingly frustrated due to his lack of opportunities to make a telling impact, while Emery is unable to dip into the transfer market for a fresh attacking option until he is offloaded.

But Villa have already shown that they will only entertain sanctioning Duran's departure if the deal is right for them as a loan offer from West Ham United, which included an option to buy, was snubbed by the Midlands outfit earlier this month.

Suitors have sensed an opportunity to pounce for the 20-year-old as he has entered the final six months of his £30,000-per-week deal, meaning he is already able to hold face-to-face negotiations and pen a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club, but he has remained with the Villans for now.

Dean Jones - Duran deal has potential to create exciting final days of window

Jones understands that Villa are keen to cash in on Duran, resulting in them putting him on the market and contacting admirers to discover whether they are open to heading to the negotiating table ahead of the fast-approaching deadline.

The respected journalist believes the South American's exit could be the catalyst for an exciting end to the transfer window, with it resulting in various other Premier League clubs being able to pounce for their top targets late in the day.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

Villa discover Rogers price tag

Villa will have to pay up to £12million in order to sign Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough, according to Football Insider, as the Championship outfit are holding out for an eight-figure fee due to Manchester City inserting a hefty sell-on clause when he headed to the Riverside Stadium during the summer.

The report suggests that the Villans set their sights on upping the ante in their pursuit after Boro were denied a spot in the Carabao Cup final thanks to a thumping defeat at the hands of Chelsea - a clash in which the winger notched his seventh goal of the campaign - but the Teessiders are reluctant to losing their talisman midway through the season.

Despite Middlesbrough driving a hard bargain and being desperate to retain Rogers' services, it is understood that Villa have submitted a third bid and are growing in confidence as they look to find a compromise ahead of the transfer window slamming shut.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Midlands outfit will keep pushing to acquire the 21-year-old as Emery is a firm admirer and wants him to be their leading arrival during the early stages of 2024.