Exclusive: Chelsea & Arsenal may still have edge in race for striker transfer, hints Fabrizio Romano



Barcelona are not currently working on the Jhon Duran transfer, according to Fabrizio Romano, in a possible boost for clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal.

The talented young Colombia international has shone for Aston Villa in recent times, but CaughtOffside have been told that links with Barcelona are wide of the mark, with the main interest coming from Premier League clubs.

Although Romano, speaking to us for his Daily Briefing column, did not specifically name which teams might be in for Duran, he spoke about previous interest from Chelsea in the summer, while Arsenal have notably been linked with the in-form 20-year-old by Football Transfers.

Duran looks good enough to play for a number of top clubs in England and Europe, but for now one obstacle may be that Villa may well raise their asking price or generally change their stance on the player after his superb form at the start of this season.

Jhon Duran celebrates a goal (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Duran transfer: Fabrizio Romano responds to speculation over Aston Villa striker

Discussing the latest Duran links, Romano said: “Barca are not actively working on a deal for Jhon Duran now, absolutely. All the rest is speculation.

“We will see in summer 2025 but mentioning this story now it’s completely not true in the sense that Barca are not having contacts for this deal.

“Several Premier League clubs are monitoring his growth and in the summer Chelsea and then West Ham wanted him, but now he’s doing great for Villa so it’s a completely different story.”


 

This perhaps points towards Chelsea or Arsenal having the edge in the race for Duran, who could be a fine signing for either club.

The Gunners are a little light up front at the moment, with neither Kai Havertz nor Gabriel Jesus really looking like out-and-out number 9s who can contribute 20 or more goals a season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have Nicolas Jackson in fine form at the moment, but might still want more options in that position as the Senegalese youngster hasn’t always been that consistent at Stamford Bridge.