West Ham have made a bid for striker Jhon Duran during the current transfer window.
Claret & Hugh can exclusively reveal the precise fee offered to Aston Villa for the Colombian forward, who has reportedly expressed a desire to leave Villa Park.
The 21-year-old striker, who celebrated his birthday in December, is still open to a move to West Ham. However, the club cannot meet Aston Villa’s new £60M valuation. It was disclosed to C&H this evening that the Hammers submitted a £40M bid, rather than the previously reported figure for Duran.
In a surprising turn of events, Borussia Dortmund have entered the race for the striker, outbidding the Irons. Although the Bundesliga giants have yet to match Villa’s valuation, there is a certain irony in the situation. Some of the money West Ham paid Dortmund for Niclas Füllkrug could ultimately help fund Villa’s asking price for the striker we wanted in the first place.
Sources have also revealed that Aston Villa would have accepted £38M for Duran during the summer transfer window. West Ham’s director of football, Tim Steidten, was keen to move forward with the deal back then.
Meanwhile, as confirmed earlier today, there is genuine interest in Nottingham Forest forward Taiwo Awoniyi, with negotiations between the two clubs still in the early stages
