Crystal Palace have been offered the chance to sign former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran before the January transfer window slams shut.
The Colombian centre-forward is currently on loan at Fenerbahce from Al-Nassr, who signed him from the Villans in a £64m deal, but it appears he's now pushing for a return to the Premier League before Monday's 7pm deadline - and Palace have been given the chance to sign him.
Jhon Duran Linked with Premier League Clubs
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Having struggled to establish himself as a starter for the Turkish giants, Duran's representatives seem keen to find him a new home for the second half of the season - perhaps with the 2026 World Cup in mind.
TeamTALK report that Lille are currently in talks to take over Duran's loan for the rest of the campaign and are in 'pole position' to land him. However, they also claim that 'intermediaries' have approached a number of Premier League clubs, namely Leeds, Tottenham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, while West Ham assessed a potential deal earlier in the window.
From Palace's perspective, the link comes shortly following a major development over Jean-Philippe Mateta's future. The Eagles' star striker has reportedly agreed a contract with AC Milan and has been left out of the matchday squad travelling to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
However, Oliver Glasner isn't willing to let the Frenchman leave until Palace find a suitable replacement. That man was expected to be Jorgen Strand Larsen, however a deal for the Wolves front-man now appears to be in doubt.
Jhon Duran was a Goal Machine at Villa Park
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Duran's time in the Premier League was short but memorable, having developed a knack for scoring a string of technically demanding goals despite receiving limited game-time.
In fact, having never quite been an immediate starter under Unai Emery, Duran's strike rate in the Premier League was 0.9 goals per ninety minutes. That level of form urged team-mate Amadou Onana to describe the young forward as 'crucial' for Villa, while noting his physical prowess.
"I think Jhon’s going to be a crucial player for us this season. He is a very talented young man. Big, fast, physical."
Compare that to Strand Larsen, and the Colombian is the more lethal of the two, with the Wolves striker coming in at 0.3 goals per ninety minutes.
In fairness, through his strength and height, Strand Larsen offers a lot to all-round play, while Duran excelled in a super-sub role which pushed up his goals-to-minutes ratio; there's no guarantee it would maintain were he to play a full ninety minutes week-in, week-out.
But with the Strand Larsen deal seemingly petering out, Duran represents a tempting alternative who may offer Glasner even more firepower than the Norwegian for the rest of the campaign.
It seems Palace have some work to do before getting any deal over the line, however. There is no suggestion of any advancement in signing Duran beyond being offered him by intermediaries, and Lille are currently the firm front-runners for his signature.