Aston Villa pick Duran replacement as €77m deal confirmed

Robin Bairner

Updated: 30 Jan 2025 17:25 GMT
3 min read

Jhon Duran, Aston Villa, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Aston Villa are working quickly to find a replacement for Jhon Duran, whose move to Al-Nassr has been given the green light.

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Duran, 20, will leave Villa Park to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi Pro League side in a deal that will reportedly be worth €77 million.

READ MORE: Latest Aston Villa transfer news

Current ETV

Jhon Durán

F (C)

Aston Villa

Jhon Durán

F (C)

Aston Villa

ETV Range

€27.5M - €45.8M

He will become the second-highest sale in the Birmingham club’s history, trailing only Jack Grealish, who went to Manchester City in 2021 for €117.5m.

David Ornstein has confirmed that all parts of the deal are falling into place and indicated that the Birmingham club have absolutely no intention of parting company with Ollie Watkins, who has been subject to interest from Arsenal, at this juncture.

The Athletic correspondent said: “Jhon Duran medical complete - set to fly to Saudi on Friday to finalise proposed move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr agreed €77m + bonuses fee & personal terms in place on 5.5yr deal. Aston Villa not intending to sell any other key men.”

Villa turn to Asensio after Tel

With Villa’s coffers filled by the €77m deal, Unai Emery’s side are naturally looking for a replacement. The Spaniard’s dream is to sign Joao Felix from Chelsea, but with time running out in the transfer window, he is looking at a myriad of options.

Over the past 24 hours, Villa have made an approach for Mathys Tel, for example, but things have developed quickly on that front and he could be on his way to Tottenham instead after they reportedly agreed a €60m transfer with Bayern Munich.

Fabrizio Romano now states that the man Villa could replace Duran with is none other than former Real Madrid star Marco Asensio, who has been playing for PSG since 2023.

The 29-year-old's time in Paris has not been particularly successful and Romano describes Asensio as being keen on moving to Villa. However, what he failed to mention is what kind of deal the Birmingham club are working on.

L'Equipe, meanwhile, sheds more light on the situation. The French outlet claims that PSG are open to a permanent departure of Asensio and that contact with Villa over a potential deal for the Spaniard has been ongoing for some time.

It remains to be seen if they will move firmly for Asensio or if they will pursue a deal for Felix. Romano states that new contact has been made with Chelsea, while The Transfers Podcast understands that the Portuguese is determined to leave Chelsea before the February 3 deadline.