Can it even be called a transfer window until Premier League outfit West Ham United are being linked with a move for former Aston Villa favourite Jhon Duran?
While the Hammers have not spent a single penny in June, funds were clearly not in short supply back in January.
West Ham submitted a £57 million bid for Jhon Duran back in the winter. With the London Stadium outfit now waiting for sales to occur before they step up their latest pursuit of a centre-forward, Graham Potter can only dream of possessing such firepower these days.
Aston Villa rejected that January approach, eventually selling Duran to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr for some £8 million more. A few months further back, West Ham United had another couple of offers turned down by their fellow claret-wearers from the Second City.
So, when it was confirmed to Hammers News recently that West Ham had enquired about Jhon Duran’s availability once again, that made it three windows in succession in which the Colombia hitman has found himself on the radar.
But if the 2023 Conference League champions had hoped this would be a case of ‘third time lucky’, Al-Nassr clearly have something very different in mind.
Jhon Duran celebrates during Al Okhdood v Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League
Photo by Al Nassr FC/Al Nassr FC via Getty Images
West Ham United have approach turned down for Al-Nassr’s Jhon Duran
Hammers News were informed that Al-Nassr had no intention of considering loan offers for Jhon Duran, only five months after parting with a club-record £65 million.
With a short-term deal off the cards, West Ham’s chances already felt pretty slim. Funds are tight at the London Stadium right now, after all.
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And Duran, who cost Al-Nassr more than twice the fee they paid to sign Liverpool icon Sadio Mane, was probably the most expensive of the various strikers on Kyle Macaulay’s extensive longlist.
Further reports have now emerged, via Saudi Arabia and Colombia, which should draw a firm line under any lingering speculation over Duran’s future at Al-Awwal Park.
A ‘final decision’ has now been reached by Al-Nassr, according to Middle Eastern publication Alyaum.
While West Ham are reportedly one of three clubs who were hoping to take Duran on loan, with an option-to-buy clause included as part of the arrangement, Al-Nassr are now informing the 21-year-old’s suitors that there is no prospect of a summer deal no matter the stipulations involved.
🚨🟣🔵 Understand Aston Villa rejected West Ham new bid for Jhon Durán.
£32m, Lewis Ordford and sell-on clause still not enough to meet £40m valuation wanted by Villa.
↪️⚒️ Negotiations continue as Durán wants West Ham, up to the clubs. pic.twitter.com/c2MUvQFBad
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 25, 2024
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“Fenerbahce, Napoli, and West Ham have made offers with purchase options, even covering most of the salary for Jhon Duran,” Colombian reporter Pipe Sierra says on his official Kick channel.
“However, Al-Nassr are not considering selling the player. There is no possibility of him leaving the club.”
West Ham were reportedly willing to stump up Duran’s hefty wages
According to The Sun, Duran earns around £320,000-a-week in Saudi Arabia. Tax free, by the way.
Sierra’s suggestion that West Ham were willing to cover ‘most of the salary’, then, feels a little fanciful. Capology claim that the current highest earner at the London Stadium – Lucas Paqueta – is on £150,000-a-week.
Paqueta will hardly be searching down the back of the sofa for spare change, then, but one imagines Jhon Duran would have to consider a pretty substantial pay cut if he is to return to European football at some point down the line.
In all competitions, Duran scored 24 goals in 47 games for Aston Villa and Al-Nassr last season. A cool finish on the opening weekend of the Premier League season – Villa triumphing 2-1 in the capital – showed the Hammers what they were missing.
Duran would go on to net stunning long-range strikes against both Fulham and Bayern Munich before sealing a move which made him the second-most expensive Saudi Pro League signing after Al-Hilal brought Neymar to the Middle East to the tune of £77 million.