West Ham United have reportedly made a huge offer to sign Aston Villa striker John Duran, who is under contract until 2030.
Duran has been in great form this season, scoring 12 goals in 27 appearances.
Most of his goals in the Premier League have come from the bench, with only four starts in total.
The 21-year-old was linked with a move during the summer transfer window, with both Chelsea and West Ham thought to be interested in signing him.
Chelsea also made a move to sign Duran in January last year, but were unable to sign him from Villa Park.
The Colombian international signed a contract until 2030 in October last year, which was expected to put an end to rumors of a transfer.
Read more: How close were Premier League teams to signing John Duran: Rejected bid, £10m estimate blocked by Anthony
However, West Ham remain interested in Duran, with their Premier League rivals offering £57m to sign him, according to David Ornstein.
The Hammers are in dire need of a new striker after summer signing Niklas Furkrug suffered another injury, while Michail Antonio is sidelined following a car accident.
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Ornstein said Aston Villa “have no intention of selling” the young striker and “expects him to reject” West Ham’s offer.
The £57m offer “includes potential bonuses” as Duran “is receiving significant interest from a number of suitors”.
There are no other clubs mentioned in the report and Duran, who signed a new contract a few months ago, could be tempted to move somewhere where he can be a mainstay up front.
The former Chicago Fire star sparked controversy last summer when he gestured to West Ham on social media in favor of a move to the London Stadium.
He made the perfect apology in the first round of the Premier League, scoring the decisive goal against West Ham.
Duran has played as second fiddle to Ollie Watkins all season, but Ollie Watkins has the better goals-per-minute record, scoring every 86 minutes in the Premier League, compared to England. 154 minutes for a player is a pretty decent number to be fair.
It is unclear whether West Ham will decide to look elsewhere, as Duran is unlikely to be sold for the price West Ham would pay.
What is certain is that signing Duran would break West Ham’s contract record, which currently stands at Sebastian Haller’s £45m.
Transfer expert John Percy said in response to Ornstein’s report that Villa “maintain their position that Duran is not for sale” and that Villa are “an important player” under Unai Emery. It is considered that,” he added.
