Benfica favourites to sign Chicago Fire’s Jhon Duran
Jhon Duran of the Chicago Fire has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs recently. However, a recent report from Calico Mercato has revealed that Benfica is now in a good position to sign the Colombian forward.
The Italian website has disclosed that the Portuguese team have already made an offer for Duran, and that Brentford, Fulham and Aston Villa are also interested.
Duran is just 19 years old, scored eight MLS goals last season and has already made three appearances for his country. The next step would be to move to Europe and the player has a big decision to make as to which club to go to.
Benfica are in need of a centre-forward following the departure of Darwin Nunez to Liverpool last summer. South American players have done very well at the club recently, with Enzo Fernandez starring for them and going on to win the World Cup with Argentina.
Jhon Duran is a transfer target for Benfica
Seeing players from his continent getting their break at the club would help convince Duran to sign for them. He would be competing with Gonçalo Ramos for a starting place, another young striker who scored three goals in Qatar for Portugal.
Benfica is also still in the Champions League and they face Club Brugge in the last 16. They are also on course to win the Primeira Liga this season, as they are eight points clear of FC Porto.
Or would a move to the Premier League be better?
Moving to Portugal could be seen as a stepping stone to the Premier League, so it would make sense to go straight to England.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and West Ham have all been linked with Duran in the past. But a move to Brentford, Fulham or Aston Villa would all make sense, with the teams currently comfortably sitting in mid-table of the league. All three teams have been in the Championship in recent seasons, but should now be established, top-flight teams.
However, they would not offer Champions League football that Benfica would. It would also be unlikely that any of them would qualify for European competition in the foreseeable future. Although, Villa with the investment made into their squad, and the arrival of Unai Emery, their ambitions will be to play in Europe soon.
All have good strikers who Duran can learn from: The Bees have Ivan Toney (pending his betting investigation), The Cottagers have Aleksandar Mitrović, and The Villans have Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings. With Duran being so young, it would be great for him to have a role model who has proved himself in the Premier League.
Both had mixed starts as the Premier League returned this week, with Brentford throwing away a two-goal advantage against Tottenham Hotspur. Aston Villa lost 3-1 to Liverpool but Fulham had an impressive 3-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Duran is a very promising young forward, although his nation unfortunately did not make it to Qatar this year. However, if he chooses the right club where he can continue to develop, then his goals will no doubt fire his team to a future World Cup.
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