The transfer move that could be key to Chelsea landing £18m rising star striker in January

Chelsea's interest in Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran is well documented at this point. With Albanian forward Armando Broja seemingly headed for the exit door at Stamford Bridge, Duran could be brought in to replace the 22-year-old in the January transfer window.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Villa are unwilling to let the Colombian native leave Villa Park in January, as they want to make sure that they have adequate cover for star striker Ollie Watkins for the rest of the 2023/24 season. As such, they have not named an asking price.

Given Chelsea's vast swathes of financial resources, their propensity for making ridiculous offers and Todd Boehly's desire to own all the best players under the age of 21 in the world, it is far from impossible that the Blues could snap up Duran in the ongoing window. However, it is seemingly unlikely to take place if Broja does not depart the club.

What would the signing of Jhon Duran from Aston Villa bring to Chelsea?

In many ways, Duran and Broja are very similar to each other - though Duran is slightly younger, aged just 20. He's also shorter at 6ft 1 (in comparison to Broja's 6ft 3 frame), but is nonetheless a very powerful forward for his age.

So far this season, Duran has made 23 appearances in all competitions, scoring 4 goals and notching up a single assist - Broja, meanwhile, has made 18 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and racking up one assist. Two of Duran's goals were in the Premier League, while Broja has just one goal to his name in England's top tier this season.

Additionally, Broja has to be labelled as an injury risk. He spent much of the 2022/23 season and a portion of the current campaign ruled out with a cruciate ligament tear - Duran does not have such an asterisk over his head.