It’s reported that Duran will this weekend be joining Aston Villa’s squad for pre-season.
Sierra claims that despite rumours of a potential exit from the club, Duran has actually been told that they count on his presence this season
Back in January, Aston Villa spent over €16m to sign the striker from Chicago Fire.
Duran didn’t have a single start for the Villans since his arrival at the club. He made 12 appearances, and by only having a few minutes on the pitch at the end of games, couldn’t have any goals or assists.
That’s why it’s been wondered whether Aston Villa would send him somewhere else to gain more experience, but it seems Emery believes he should have more importance in the team next season.
Aston Villa have submitted an enquiry to ask about the summer availability of Leicester City forward Harvey Barnes, according to reportsREAD MORE
The Foxes academy graduate has overcome loan spells at MK Dons, Barnsley and West Bromwich Albion to become a regular first-team feature at the King Power Stadium, where he made 32 starts from 38 Premier League games last season, establishing himself as the club’s best-performing offensive player.
Despite still having two years to run on his contract with Enzo Maresca’s side, the 25-year-old is expected to be one of the next prized assets to get cashed in on following James Maddison’s move to Tottenham Hotspur, and should he depart, he’s got admirers in Unai Emery, Monchi and NSWE.
During a Q&A for BirminghamLive, Villa Park reporter John Townley confirmed that the left-sided winger is indeed a “target” for this window and broke the news that he would be “open to joining”, and this appears to have prompted the hierarchy to make their first official move.
Are Aston Villa signing Barnes?
According to The Daily Mail, Aston Villa have “enquired” to discover the chances of a swoop for Barnes ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Premier League rivals West Ham United and Spurs have also made contact, whilst Newcastle United are credited with an interest as well.
Leicester’s attacker is “set to leave” this summer and clearly isn’t short of potential suitors in the top-flight, but where his next home will be is “not yet known”. The Foxes are “optimistic” that they will be able to demand a fee of £35m for their youth product, though it remains to be seen whether this is a price that any of the mentioned clubs would be happy to meet.
Aston Villa will recognise Barnes being Leicester’s top-performing offensive player last season, showing his ability to step up and making an impact in a struggling side – that type of mentality could serve him well on the European stage.
He is of course naturally a wide player, possessing a creative flair that’s led him to be labelled a “livewire” in the final third, as lauded by BBC pundit Alan Hutton, but he would also bring an extremely prolific edge to Emery’s attacking ranks should he put pen to paper.
During the 2022/23 campaign, England’s former international clocked up 14 goal contributions (13 goals and one assist) in 34 outings and over the course of the term and recorded a total of 72 shots, which was the second-highest number throughout the whole of his squad, as per FBRef, showing that he always has an eye on hitting the back of the net.
The Burnley-born talent, who has experience of playing in the Europa League, would also provide the boss with remarkable versatility having operated in nine various positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and in the midfield, making him a great option to have when competing in several competitions.
Finally, Barnes shares the same agent, Wasserman, as Tyrone Mings and Leander Dendoncker, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give them a small edge over their competitors should they try and pursue a deal in the weeks ahead.
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