Former Chelsea target Jhon Duran has been rewarded for his impressive start to the season with a new contract at Aston Villa, as confirmed by the club.
The 20-year-old forward, who joined Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023 for a fee just under £15m, is proving to be a bargain buy. After spending his first 18 months at the club settling in and waiting patiently behind first-choice striker Ollie Watkins, Duran has truly made his mark this season.
The Colombian has really announced himself this season and you could argue that his goals at the end of last season against Liverpool was an indicator of what was to come. With eight goals in 37 appearances across all competitions for Villa, Duran has already scored six times in ten games this term – five of which came from substitute appearances, including a goal in the 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week.
He has also scored against West Ham, Leicester, Everton, Wolves and Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup, setting the stage for a promising season. After a summer of uncertainty, Duran was quoted as saying he’d be open to leaving Villa, with West Ham and Chelsea showing interest.
Chelsea had been in touch with Duran’s representatives and there were but the club later changed opted against a move in the summer.
He has since won back the supporters with his performances and goals, leading to him committing his long-term future to the club with a deal running until 2030.
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The Colombian international, who has 12 caps for his country, has netted 14 times in 59 appearances for Villa so far, but remarkably, only three of those starts have been in the Premier League.
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