Aston Villa step up playmaker pursuit as Jhon Duran nears £75m exit
Villa will step up efforts to sign Chelsea playmaker Joao Felix with Jhon Duran close to completing his £75million switch to Saudi Arabia.
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The striker is due to fly to the Middle East on Friday to complete the move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr after undergoing a medical in London on Thursday.
Villa will receive an initial £64m for Duran and though a portion of the fee will go to his former clubs Chicago Fire and Envigado, it remains a huge profit on the £18m Villa paid Chicago two years ago.
The money will both significantly ease concerns with regard to profit and sustainability rules and provide more scope to strengthen over the final days of the transfer window.
Boss Unai Emery wants a defender and attacker with talks having taken place with Chelsea over a loan move for centre-back Axel Disasi.
Felix, meanwhile, has been a long-term forward target. Emery was keen to recruit the Portugal international both last January and in the summer before he completed a £45m move to Chelsea.
But the 25-year-old has started only three Premier League matches and there is optimism a deal could be struck, particularly with Villa’s funds about to be boosted by Duran’s sale.
Villa have also held talks with Paris St Germain over Spain international forward Marco Asensio as they explore options ahead of Monday's deadline.
Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel is another on the club’s list but the French teenager has several other Premier League suitors, Chelsea among them.
Villa, meanwhile, have ruled out selling Ollie Watkins after rejecting a bid from Arsenal, thought to have been some way below the £60m fee originally reported.
Watkins has been Villa’s top scorer for the past four seasons and the club has no desire to part with their most dependable source of goals, even more so now Duran is set for the exit door.
Villa, who qualified for the Champions League last-16 courtesy of Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Celtic, can register a maximum of three new signings for the knockout stages of the competition.
Winger Donyell Malen joined earlier this month from Borussia Dortmund for £21m. With Jaden Philogene and Diego Carlos having departed for a combined £32m, Duran’s exit will have seen Villa recoup nearly £100m in sales this month.