Yahoo News Aston Villa get worst possible Jhon Duran response as Chelsea wait drags on
Chelsea have reportedly not walked away from signing £40m-rated Jhon Duran, but are putting Aston Villa at risk of missing their PSR deadline by not wanting to rush their striker search.
As Villa intend to do all they can to squash any fears of exceeding the Premier League's loss allowance between now and June 30, the striker they signed from Chicago Fire 18 months ago has been tipped as one option on the table to be used for raising funds. Another club feeling the pressure, Chelsea, were reportedly going to commit to a £40m deal.
But as much as progress accelerated, it just as quickly stalled. This is reportedly down to the Blues doing their research and making enquiries for a number of attacking targets all at once, so West Midlands chiefs have seemingly been left in limbo for the past several days.
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As they await a response, The Telegraph have sought to provide some clarity by claiming Chelsea are still actively pursuing Duran, though are yet to reach a conclusion in their ongoing search and won't rush the process either. Of course if this continues much longer then there is the risk of missing the accountancy deadline for the official end of the 2023/24 campaign.
They also confirm Maximilian Beier of Hoffenheim is one target Chelsea have looked at, whilst others were named last week.
VfB Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy was first named as a cut-price alternative, before Atletico Madrid's Samuel Omorodion emerged as a candidate similar in age and stature to Duran. Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke, Brighton's Evan Ferguson and Lille's Jonathan David are another three names suggested recently.
Whilst Villa await their rivals' response, this is not damaging the boardroom relationship between the clubs as they press on with the final details of two other transfers.
Last week Unai Emery and Co agreed a £37.5m fee to bring left back Ian Maatsen to Villa Park, whilst various publications state that youth talent Omari Kellyman is expected to undergo a medical today in order to complete his £19m switch to Stamford Bridge.
