West Ham have responded to news emerging of a new bid for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran after a journalist’s exciting claim.
The Jhon Duran saga between West Ham and Aston Villa looked to be over for good.
But there is never a dull moment when West Ham – or Duran it seems – are involved.
Despite signing a new deal with Aston Villa, speculation has never gone away about a potential move to east London for Duran.
It was claimed recently that Duran has remained on West Ham’s list of targets with signing a younger striker a necessity.
The Hammers have believed they can play on the fact Duran is not getting the regular starting berth he craves and think they may yet be able to sign him.
The Colombian opened up on his failed West Ham move a couple of months ago.
Duran admitted there was a chance he was going to move to the London Stadium in the summer.
The maverick 21-year-old also said his burning desire to be the main striker coupled with a lack of patience means he may still want that at another club.
Duran has admitted he has a “love-hate relationship” with Unai Emery. And he has found himself back starting on the bench for Aston Villa since completing his recent three-game ban.
West Ham make new £57m bid for Villa’s Duran
Duran was West Ham’s top striker target in the summer as negotiations with Villa rumbled on for two months.
The on-off deal looked very much on when Duran took to social media and did a crossed Hammers gesture.
In the end West Ham would not pay Aston Villa’s £45m asking price with suggestions from within the club that it was too much for such an inexperienced player.
Instead technical director Tim Steidten elected to spread his striker budget over the disastrous signings of Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme.
Fullkrug has been ruled out for another three months having only just returned from a three-month injury lay-off.
Guilherme has barely featured and West Ham are already trying to offload him to a Saudi club.
West Ham reignited their interest in Duran with a £40m offer to Villa two weeks ago.
Many Hammers fans criticised that move, suggesting it was a “phantom bid” in that the board knew it was going to be rejected out of hand.
It was.
West Ham’s major 11-word statement on new Duran bid
Now Athletic journalist David Ornstein has reported that West Ham have made a new £57m bid for Duran.
The sensational news emerged out of the blue on Monday afternoon to get tongues wagging again.
It has excited many Hammers fans who feel the club must be getting encouragement from Duran or Villa that a deal is there to be done.
Now West Ham have responded with a major 11-word statement on the new bid for Aston Villa star Duran.
Firstly the reason why West Ham have tried again has been made clear by journalist Graeme Bailey.
Speaking exclusively to Hammers News, Bailey says Duran still wants the move.
“Duran wants to come to West Ham, we have known that since last summer,” Bailey told Hammers News.
“West Ham are kicking themselves for not doing when they should have then.”
Well now Hammers News can exclusively reveal what West Ham are planning to do next.
Because the top spokesman close to the owners has confirmed the situation and the £57m offer.
“Offer turned down,” the West Ham spokesman told Hammers News.
“We have to accept defeat and move on.”
The problem West Ham now have is, fans will be expecting the club to spend that level of money elsewhere instead.
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