Key factor could help Chelsea drive transfer target’s price down as £40m considered too high

Chelsea could reportedly be able to get Aston Villa’s £40million asking price for Jhon Duran down, according to transfer news expert Ben Jacobs in his column for Si Phillips Talks Chelsea.

The talented young Colombian forward has shown glimpses of real promise during his time at Villa, but it seems that Chelsea are, perhaps wisely, not keen to pay over the odds for this relatively young and inexperienced player.

According to Jacobs, though, one factor in their favour could be that Duran is not in the plans of Villa manager Unai Emery, so it might be easier to persuade the club to part ways with him for lower than their current asking price.

Duran certainly doesn’t quite seem like a £40m player right now, even if he would be a worthwhile investment in the future for something closer to £30m.

Villa, however, won’t want to be pushed around on this, so it will be interesting to see what kind of agreement the two clubs can come to, or if CFC simply decide to move on to other targets.

Duran transfer: How high should Chelsea go?

Chelsea fans will surely agree that splashing out as much as £40m on someone without much Premier League experience seems very risky, with Duran not necessarily looking like someone who’d be a significant upgrade on Nicolas Jackson.

Still, the Blues could also have other ways to get that price down, with Jacobs noting that they’re ready to use David Datro Fofana in possible swap deals this summer, with the club ready to let him go if the circumstances are right, even if they aren’t actively looking to sell the player.

There’s also some mention of Conor Gallagher, though it seems the Chelsea midfielder possibly joining Villa is currently seen as a separate deal, rather than a possible part of a cash-plus-player exchange.