Aston Villa beat Liverpool to £15m Colombian wonderkid Jhon Duran as teenage striker prepares to leave MLS

• Hot prospect heading to England
• Impressed in his homeland and the USA
• Villans hoping to unlock full potential

WHAT HAPPENED? The talented teenager has been linked with Liverpool and Chelsea in the recent past, with the youngster earning comparisons to Belgium international frontman Romelu Lukaku. He is already the second-youngest player to score in the Colombian top-flight – aged just 15 at the time – and became the most expensive foreign signing in MLS history when moving to Chicago from Envigado in January 2021.

WHAT THEY SAID: Villa have now revealed that they have a deal in place, saying in a statement on the club’s official website: “Aston Villa can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Chicago Fire for the permanent transfer of 19-year-old striker, Jhon Duran. The deal is subject to the player passing a medical, agreeing personal terms and obtaining the necessary work visa.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Duran started out in the Envigado youth ranks as a tricky winger, but was converted into a powerful striker while working with coaches such as Wilson James Rodriguez – the father of former Real Madrid and Everton star James Rodriguez.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Villa will be hoping to see Duran unlock his full potential when completing a transfer to England, with the hottest of prospects preparing to join a striker pool in the West Midlands that already includes Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings.