Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran has allegedly emerged as a transfer target for a Serie A giant.
Ever since the start of the summer transfer window, there has been frequent speculation regarding the future of the Colombia international.
However, having penned a new long-term contract as recently as October 7, it was expected that any interest in his signature would lower ahead of 2025.
According to Il Mattino, that is not particularly the case with there now being admirers in his services in Italy.
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Serie A interest in Duran
The report claims that Napoli have become "bewitched" with the physical attributes of the 21-year-old during the first half of the campaign.
In 864 minutes of football, Duran has contributed a sensational 11 goals in all competitions, nine of which have come in the Premier League and Champions League.
Nevertheless, despite netting in three successive games, it remains apparent that Ollie Watkins is still Unai Emery's first-choice option in attack.
That has seemingly convinced director of football Giovanni Manna that he should be considering a move for a player who is compared to proven Serie A frontman Duvan Zapata.
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Why are Napoli ready to target Lukaku?
Napoli allegedly want to bring in a player who can essentially becoming 'a sidekick' to Romelu Lukaku.
The 31-year-old has contributed six goals and four assists from his 14 appearances in Serie A since completing a transfer from Chelsea earlier this year.
While there are a number of versatile alternatives who could deputise for Lukaku if and when required, they are not of the same physical mould as Lukaku.
Naturally, the stumbling block in any chase for Duran will be a fee. Villa were adamant that they would not sell for less than £40m in the summer, before Duran became one of the in-form strikers in European football.
Even with Napoli allegedly making contact with intermediaries, they must first sell Victor Osimhen - currently on loan at Galatasaray - before having a bid accepted for Duran becomes realistic.
Darren Plant
