Everton are reportedly battling with West Ham United over a deal to sign Jhon Duran, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
After joining Aston Villa from MLS side Chicago Fire in 2023, the 22-year-old showed glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League. Following that, he attracted a lot of attention, with Chelsea reportedly showing interest in him.
However, he surprisingly opted to join Al-Nassr in January last year. After staying only six months in Saudi Arabia, the Colombian decided to return to Europe and sign for Fenerbahce on a loan deal last summer.
In 18 appearances across all competitions, the South American has made six goal contributions thus far this season. Moreover, he has been guiding his side to mount a title charge in the Turkish Super Lig.
Now, Fichajes state that despite already purchasing Pablo Vicente and Taty Castellanos in this winter window, West Ham want a new striker and have earmarked Duran as a serious option.
The East London club aren’t the only club interested in Dusan as Everton are also in this race. The Toffees are looking to add further depth to the No.9 position despite already having Thierno Barry and Beto.
However, Duran wants to play regularly to be ready for next summer’s World Cup, so he won’t join West Ham or Everton if they are planning to sign him to use as a rotational option.
Battle
Although Everton currently have Beto and Barry as striker options, Beto has struggled to showcase his best thus far this season. On the other hand, Barry has started showing signs of improvement in recent weeks following a disappointing start this season.
West Ham, meanwhile, have Callum Wilson as the striker option alongside Pablo and Castellanos. So, they don’t need to invest more to strengthen this area further.
Nevertheless, Duran, standing at 6ft 1in tall, is a highly talented player and is still very young. So, he might be a shrewd acquisition for West Ham or Everton should either club purchase him.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the East London club or the Merseyside club eventually make a concrete approach to secure his services.
