Aston Villa star told he can secure blockbuster Real Madrid transfer if he ‘corrects his behaviour’

Chelsea striker target Jhon Duran has been told his fine form at Aston Villa can secure him an eye-catching future move to Real Madrid if he continues on the right path – but the player’s uncle has warned he still has some maturing to do before he can move to the Bernabeu.

Duran moved to Aston Villa in an initial £14.75m (€17.7m, $19.5m) move from Chicago Fire in January 2023 and made 12 appearances across the remainder of that season under the management of Unai Emery, who had made the Colombian one of his first signings at Villa Park.

After registering zero goals across those initial dozen appearances, Duran notched eight times in 37 appearances across last season as Villa secured a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League. However, despite summer transfer links to both Chelsea and West Ham, there were few signs of what was to come from the 20-year-old, who has started this season in a superb vein of form and having scored five times from just eight outings, totalling a modest 278 minutes.

Now his uncle claims the 20-year-old has the qualities to earn a future move to Real Madrid – but only if he learns to ‘correct his behaviour’ first.

“We are talking about a player who, if he has his feet on the ground, if he lets himself be guided by his advisors, will be very great because he is very young and is not yet mature as an athlete,” he told Colombian outlet GolCaracol.

“If his behaviour was not the best, it is normal; you have to let him see it and he will correct it. Having character is different from seeing or believing that others are less than me.

“Not speaking to people is not character for me, but because I am related to him and have known him since I was a child we believe that we have already achieved everything and since he is young, he may suddenly think that, but I have enormous faith that he is going to correct his behaviour.

“Jhon Jader is still a 20-year-old boy and there is a lot of room for improvement. When he plays as a starter, he will be among the top scorers in any league he plays in.

“God gave him virtues that he has to take advantage of and polish, such as his aerial game or getting behind the backs of defenders. Let’s hope that the next sale is to Real Madrid.”

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Jhon Duran: Chelsea offer and Barcelona links clarified

While Chelsea were indeed keen on Duran over the summer, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed he remains of interest to the Blues hierarchy.

“There are now rumours that several clubs are interested in Jhon Duran and I can confirm that Chelsea really tried to sign him too. Chelsea rate the player and still like the player at this moment,” Romano told the Daily Briefing.

“Contacts are ongoing, but it’s not something that we can definitely update now.”

Barcelona have also been credited with an interest, though Romano was quick to play down those links.

“There have been some rumours of Barcelona chasing Jhon Duran in the last 24 hours but let me say that Barca, at this moment, have not been active in negotiations for any striker,” he said.

“Obviously, they are keeping a close eye on the strikers market, but it’s not something really concrete because Hansi Flick is very happy with what Robert Lewandowski is doing.”

’40 clubs wanted Duran’ / Villa linked with Inter star

Emery, meanwhile, seems hugely appreciative of the 12-times capped Colombia international and Aston Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany recently suggested as many as ’40 clubs’ were keen on Duran over the summer.

“In every team there are two very, very important positions. Every position is important, of course, but the keeper and the striker are two very specific positions.

“Ollie [Watkins] is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That’s normal because he wants to play. There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran – because everyone wanted him.

“Jhon Duran is a 20-year-old boy and he knows what we know – that he has huge potential. He can be one of the best strikers in the world…period. Unai is giving him more minutes. And we have spoken to him. He’s training well – and he’s happy.

“If there is one club that really thinks Duran can become one of the best in the world, then that club is Aston Villa and that manager is Unai Emery.”

President of football operations Monchi added: “Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months. He is 100 per cent convinced.

“So, what is the problem? We also have Ollie Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins. That is normal because every player thinks he is better than their team-mates. To manage Watkins and Duran is not easy but at the end it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.”

Were Villa to sell Duran, Monchi is reported to have identified Inter Milan star Marcus Thuram as an option after his exit clause came to light.

Duran is Villa super-sub