On fire Premier League talent not at Chelsea because of Conor Gallagher | OneFootball

Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran has been the talk of the Premier League this season and the in-form striker could have been displaying his talent at Chelsea had it not been for Conor Gallagher.

The Blues have held a long-term interest in the Colombian star tracing back to the January transfer window and they revisited the idea of signing the 20-year-old during the summer.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea were close to signing Duran before the Euros in June with talks said to have reached the advanced stages with Aston Villa.

The agreement was a swap deal, which would see unwanted star Conor Gallagher move to Villa Park. However, the England star rejected the move and therefore, the deal collapsed.

The 24-year-old would end up moving to Spain to join Atletico Madrid, while Duran is currently on fire with Aston Villa in his super sub role. The Colombian has scored six goals within 297 minutes of action, which averages out to around a goal every 50 minutes.

The 20-year-old is pushing hard for a starting spot at Aston Villa and it will leave Chelsea fans wondering what could have been.

Chelsea are interested in Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Chelsea could return for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran in 2025

If Duran fails to secure a starting 11 spot in Unai Emery’s team over the course of the 2024/25 campaign, that could see the Colombia international push for a move next summer.

The 20-year-old will not want to see his talent go to waste on the bench at Villa Park and this could provide Chelsea with an opportunity to lure the striker to Stamford Bridge. The Blues never signed a number nine during the latest transfer window, which leaves a spot open for the Colombian talent.

The West London outfit are unlikely to lose interest in Duran between now and then, which could result in the Premier League giants making a move ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.