West Ham have declined to confirm whether they made a last-minute attempt to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran on transfer deadline day.
Reports surfaced yesterday of an 11th-hour offer for the Colombian striker, whom the Hammers had pursued throughout much of the transfer window.
Previously, it was believed that West Ham’s final bid of £37 million for Duran was made at the beginning of August, with Villa rejecting the Irons’ third and final offer. The situation appeared resolved when Tim Steidten returned to Germany to sign Niclas Füllkrug from Dortmund, closing the chapter for many.
However, new reports of a last effort to sign the 20-year-old forward prompted C&H to contact a top source at the club for clarification. The high-ranking Hammers insider responded, “Stuff like that is confidential; we needed Ings out, and he didn’t want to go anywhere.”
While not a complete denial, it’s understandable why the club would keep such matters under wraps. Reading between the lines, it’s safe to assume West Ham might have pursued Duran again had Ings moved on.
Unfortunately, with two goals in three games, it may prove difficult to sign Duran in future windows for the originally quoted £40 million price.