Aston Villa almost agreed Jhon Duran transfer before Chelsea star rejected swap
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Aston Villa almost agreed a swap deal with Chelsea for Jhon Duran which collapsed as Conor Gallagher rejected the move.
The Colombia international has become a firm fan favourite at Villa Park which has been cemented by his winner against Bayern Munich on Wednesday 2 October.
Things could have been so different for the Villans with the transfer specialist reporting to his Daily Briefing on 4 October that a deal with Chelsea was almost done for the 20-year-old.
He said: “Chelsea and Aston Villa almost agreed on every part of the deal, which included Conor Gallagher. He was a priority target for Unai Emery and for Aston Villa but the real issue in this story was Conor Gallagher rejected the move.
“The deal collapsed, but Jhon Durán was a really strong candidate for Chelsea. Let me also say credits to Villa, because when West Ham and other clubs wanted to sign the player, the club always said £50 million pounds or nothing.”
Jhon Duran nearly left Aston Villa for Chelsea
The former Chicago Fire starlet was not a popular figure at Villa Park over the summer with his social media antics leaving a sour taste in supporters’ mouths.
This behaviour was ill-advised and it seems as if Unai Emery has got to him and brought him back down to earth with a bang, and it has worked to perfection.
Duran is on an electric run of form with everything he touches turning to gold in an unexpected rise to Premier League and Champions League stardom.
His goal against Everton was sensational in a moment of ecstasy only bettered in recent weeks by his strike against Bayern, lobbing Manuel Neuer from range.
Given how good he has been so far this campaign, despite making just one start, it would have been such a blow to lose him during the window.
Looking ahead to the clash against Manchester United, it is safe to say the striker will be knocking on his manager’s door and asking to start.
The 20-year-old already has so much ability and the ceiling to become even better and there is no one better for him to be working under right now than Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, one star has proved why he is “one of the best” in the famous win against Bayern Munich.
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