In a shock move, Aston Villa are now reportedly about to accept a £59m bid from Saudi Arabia club Al-Nassr to sell one of Unai Emery’s best players who Cristiano Ronaldo has been pushing for.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans have been one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League so far this month, signing Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia before sanctioning the exits of Diego Carlos and reportedly Emiliano Buendia to Fenerbahce and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. They’re not done there either. Recent reports have indicated that they could still secure further incomings and show another one of Emery’s players the door before next week’s deadline.
Among those mentioned have been Joao Felix and Axel Disasi, with both Chelsea players emerging on Aston Villa’s radar and reports even going as far as to suggest that the latter has already agreed personal terms with the Midlands club.
Having sold Carlos, welcoming Disasi would certainly be an intelligent move but it remains to be seen whether Villa will beat the race against the clock to secure the Frenchman’s signature this month.
Meanwhile, in what would steal even greater headlines, those at Villa Park are reportedly set to sanction a shock sale. According to L’Equipe, Aston Villa are about to accept an offer worth €70m (£59m) to sell Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr before the end of the transfer window.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been pushing for his side to secure the forward’s signature even amid reports that Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface is on his way, and now the Real Madrid legend could get his wish.
If Aston Villa do accept the pending offer – as the report claims they’ve been told will happen by sources in England – then the ball will be in Duran’s court. In what could be a career-altering decision, he must choose whether to secure his family’s financial future or continue to compete at the top level.
"Special" Duran must resist Saudi offer
With the ball in his court, Duran should take his ball and stay put in European football if not at Aston Villa this month and beyond rather than give in to the temptation of the Saudi riches. At just 21 years old, the Colombian has the potential to become one of the most clinical forwards that European football has to offer and that would only result in the biggest prizes.
Meanwhile, a move to the Saudi Pro League may only see the young striker follow in the footsteps of others who have miserably failed in the past. The likes of Jota, Jordan Henderson and Aymeric Laporte all struggled to enjoy their decisions with just the latter still playing in Saudi Arabia.
Jota, of course, is the example that stands out the most. The talented, young winger swapped Celtic for Al-Ittihad in 2023 only to endure a frustrating time and end up back at the Scottish champions less than two years later full of regret.
Previously dubbed “special” by Emery, Duran has the ability to take his pick when Europe’s biggest clubs inevitably come calling and that should be enough to reject a mid-season switch to Al-Nassr.
