Exclusive: Arsenal stance on Jhon Duran confirmed amid rumours of bid for Aston Villa star
The Gunners were said to have made a bid for the Villans forward.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Both Arsenal and Aston Villa have experienced downturns in form over the past few weeks which has cost them on the results front.
The Gunners have picked up just one point from their last three Premier League games and they’ve lost their last two matches in all competitions.
Meanwhile, the Villans have lost their last three games in all competitions, while their last win was on 22 October when they beat Bologna in the Champions League.
With the transfer window on the horizon, both Arsenal and Aston Villa could well look to the market for reinforcements, but they must also be mindful of teams coming after their players.
In recent days, a report from Colombia’s Antenna 2 has claimed that the Gunners have seen a bid for Jhon Duran turned down by the Villans.
The report said Arsenal ‘recently’ saw a €55million (£45.6million) bid turned down by the Villa Park outfit, who are apparently after €85million (£70.5million).
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Arsenal deny making offer to Aston Villa for Jhon Duran
However, TBR Football can now reveal that the Gunners have denied making any fresh offers for the Villa striker.
Arsenal were keeping tabs on Duran during the summer, when his future at B6 appeared uncertain, but the Gunners say no offers were made at the time either.
Villa demanded in excess of £50million for Duran in the summer and turned down offers from Chelsea and West Ham, before he signed his new deal and hit his rich vein of form.
Duran’s rise to prominence and new Villa contract
Just a couple of months ago, the Villa striker’s name regularly did the rounds on the transfer rumour mill, with reports claiming Chelsea were eager to sign him.
Indeed, transfer deadline day saw The Times report that the Blues were looking at offering players as part of a deal to sign Duran.
However, the transfer window shut with Duran still at Villa and, since the deadline, he has made a real name for himself at the claret-and-blue club.
Duran has eight goals from 16 appearances this season, including the winner in the historic Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
More intriguingly, the 20-year-old has only made three starts all season, and those eight goals have come from just 580 minutes of football.
Duran’s heroics this season led to him signing a new Villa contract in October, which commits his future to the Birmingham club until the summer of 2030.
Interested clubs may well be reluctant to make a move for him any time soon, considering how strong Villa’s hand would now be in any negotiations.
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