West Ham have had a fresh bid for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran rejected, talkSPORT understands.
The Colombian’s future at Villa Park has been the subject of speculation for some time now, with the Irons among his list of admirers.
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Sources at the London Stadium claim that the Hammers were willing to pay £40million for Duran, but this is believed to be nowhere near the Villain’s valuation.
It is believed that it would take at least £60m for Villa to even entertain an offer.
In the summer, Duran was linked with both West Ham and Chelsea, with the striker even teasing a move to east London on social media.
He made an Irons-shaped gesture during an Instagram live video while on holiday, only for him to ultimately remain in the West Midlands for the first half of the season and score the winner against the Hammers in August.
And his form since then has done little to discourage potential suitors.
At the midway point of the campaign, the lethal forward has 12 goals in all competitions, despite mainly featuring as back-up to Ollie Watkins.
Many of his contributions have been telling, with his goals including winners against Leicester City, Everton, Southampton and West Ham in the league.
Duran has shone on the European stage too with three Champions League goals – including the famous late winner against Bayern Munich.
And his exploits this term haven’t just caught the eye of Premier League clubs.
Earlier this month, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain were rumoured to be among those interested in securing Duran’s services.
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And while the Villa frontman would join the likes of Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Lee Kang-In should he make a move to the French capital, he would face much less competition at West Ham.
The Irons have struggled for goals this season, with winger Jarrod Bowen leading their goalscoring charts with five league goals, while summer signing Niclas Fullkrug – now injured – has scored just twice.
But with Arsenal also currently in the market for a new striker, talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent Alex Crook admitted the Gunners could well be interested in Duran too.
Appearing on White and Jordan, Crook said: “Jhon Duran obviously is a player who’s proven himself in the Premier League and Aston Villa have rejected fresh interest from West Ham.
“West Ham are willing to pay, I’m told, £40million for Duran this window – that was laughed out of town.
“But if they do have the funds I think Arsenal fans would probably agree that John Duran might just be the type of player who can really help them sustain a title push in the second half of the season.”
