Chelsea were linked with numerous players during the summer transfer window, as is often the case. However, they did not sign every player they pursued, missing out on key targets such as Jhon Duran and Victor Osimhen. While Duran remained at Aston Villa, Osimhen joined Galatasaray, where he is currently enjoying a productive loan spell, having scored three goals and provided two assists in four league appearances.
At one point, it appeared that Chelsea and Aston Villa had broadly agreed on a deal for Duran. Villa will be pleased to have retained the 20-year-old striker, who continued his impressive form by scoring in their recent 2-0 Champions League victory against Bologna. Despite his strong performance, Duran displayed frustration when substituted shortly after his goal, resulting in a visible tantrum on the substitutes' bench.
Former Villa striker Stan Collymore expressed his disapproval of Duran's reaction while speaking on talkSPORT. He remarked, "Jhon Duran needs some careful managing. I’ve got to be honest, when teams are winning games, you can get away with anything. And I didn’t like the fact that he came off the pitch and started kicking chairs, throwing his toys out the pram. Everybody laughs it off as, 'Well, you’ve won, he’s scoring goals, and it doesn’t matter.' It will matter down the line when Villa lose games, and he does that."
According to The Chelsea Chronicle, Chelsea reportedly had concerns about Duran's attitude, which may impact their interest in signing him. However, Duran has demonstrated his ability to score crucial goals this season, reinforcing his potential value to any Premier League side.
Villa are said to value Duran at £75 million, a figure that may deter Chelsea, especially given the current form of their own striker, Nicolas Jackson, who has scored more Premier League goals than Duran this season, albeit with significantly more game time.