Fulham and Brentford are both being linked with a January move for Chicago Fire striker Jhon Duran, who has emerged as a key target for both clubs.
Reportedly, both teams have ‘made offers’ for the 19-year-old, but there is also interest from Aston Villa and Portuguese giants Benfica.
With Fulham and Brentford both in need of striker reinforcements, Duran represents a smart option and a good long-term investment for the future.
Fulham could see the youngster as someone who could compete with Aleksandr Mitrovic and Carlos Vinicius, while Brentford will likely need a replacement for Ivan Toney as he is linked with moves elsewhere and could potentially face a ban for gambling breaches.
Duran began his career in his native Colombia, before moving to Chicago Fire in 2021, where he has since become a key player for the MLS side.
This season, the young striker contributed eight goals and five assists in 27 league appearances, his best campaign to date.
The powerful, pacey forward is excellent at driving forward with the ball and on his day is an excellent finisher, too.
As an exciting, young, left-footed striker… it’s impossible not to see similarities with a young Romelu Lukaku.
Chicago Fire will be desperate to keep hold of Duran ahead of the 2023 season but will have to fend off the increasing interest from Europe.
His contract is set to expire in 2024, so they aren’t under any pressure to sell imminently, however, a sizeable offer in January could convince the Americans to sell.
Duran is currently teammates with former Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri and Chelsea loanee Gabriel Slonina at Chicago, so he may believe that he too could have a career in the English topflight.
As mentioned, the London duo have already ‘made offers’ for the youngster, while Aston Villa and Benfica have also registered an interest, according to CalcioMercatoWeb.
Villa already have two decent centre-forwards in Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, but with Unai Emery looking to add firepower to his squad, another striker signing isn’t out of the question.
Benfica also need reinforcements in the forward area, as it’s looking increasingly likely that Goncalo Ramos will be leaving either in January or at the end of the season after he dazzled at the World Cup for Portugal.
Although, it is always a risk when signing a young striker. Injuries, headlines and goal droughts have all been known to scupper a player’s career regardless of potential, so any suitors will have…
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