Napoli have made Aston Villa star Jhon Duran a top target for the January transfer window as they eye competition for Romelu Lukaku in attack, according to Il Mattino.
The Colombian striker recently signed a new long-term contract at Villa Park to extend his stay at the club until 2030, after a sensational start to the season saw him lead the way in the team's goalscoring charts.
Despite that he has found himself playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins and remains the backup to the England international, despite netting in every start he's made this season plus more to hit 11 goals so far in this campaign.
That form, plus the fact he isn't playing regularly and is only 21 has got Serie A giants Napoli "bewitched" by him and they are very keen to try and strike a deal to make him part of Antonio Conte's side for the second half of the season.
Napoli Want to Sign Jhon Duran
Villa officials are frantic at prospect of losing him
Jhon Duran
Napoli are currently sitting in second place in the league table, two points behind Europa League holders Atalanta, and Conte has identified the need for more goals in his side to lead them to the title.
Duran, described as a 'superstar', is someone who has been identified as a long-term replacement for Romelu Lukaku and Alessandro Buongiorno, who has scored just once this season in 15 appearances and now faces a spell on the sidelines due to injury.
The report from the Italian outlet suggests Napoli would be open to paying up to €40m (£33.8m) to secure the signature of the 21-year-old forward, but that seems highly unlikely to be enough to convince Aston Villa to part ways with one of their crown jewels for the future.
Jhon Duran Aston Villa Statistics 2024/25 (all comps)
Competition
Premier League
Champions League
EFL Cup
West Ham and Chelsea were heavily linked with a move during the summer window and the Hammers had bids worth in excess of £40m rejected. That was before his fantastic form this season and a contract extension however, so it seems highly likely that price will now only have increased.
Villa return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon when they take on champions Man City at Villa Park, where Duran will be looking for a third consecutive start after scoring in each of his last two appearances.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored - correct as of 18/12/2024.
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