Chelsea have kept in touch with the representatives of Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Blues held talks about signing the Colombian international early on in the summer transfer window but the club were put off by Villa’s £50m asking price. However, writing in his Daily Briefing column, Romano suggested that Enzo Maresca’s side remain interested in the player:

“I can confirm that Chelsea really tried to sign him too. Chelsea rate the player and still like the player at this moment. Contacts are ongoing, but it’s not something that we can definitely update now.”

Duran has had an excellent start to the season for Villans, having scored 5 times in just 251 minutes of football, averaging a goal every 50 minutes.

It is, therefore, not a surprise that Chelsea have been speaking to his agents ahead of potential bid in January or at the end of the season.

Adding firepower upfront remains a priority

After failing to land Victor Osimhen in the closing hours of the last transfer window, it is believed that the club will redouble their efforts to find a new No.9 in the New Year.

In addition to Duran and Osimhen, the Blues have also been linked with the likes of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.

Chelsea are currently coping fine in the striker department

Despite the recruitment team looking to reinforce numbers up front, Maresca has managed to get a tune out of both Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku so far this campaign.

The former has hit the back of the net 4 times in his first 6 appearances, while the latter’s hat-trick against Barrow midweek means he has racked up 6 goals in all competitions. For that reason, signing someone like Duran is not urgent.

Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here