Express Cristiano Ronaldo request sees Al-Nassr make shock Aston Villa raid as one-time offer is prepped

Rudy Galetti 25 Jan 2025 10:05 AM

Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Aston Villa's Jhon Duran

Al-Nassr are keen to strengthen their attack and are ready to present Aston Villa with a tempting offer to sign Colombia striker Jhon Duran in the coming days – though they have put a limit on the amount they are prepared to pay, TEAMtalk can reveal.

The 21-year-old Aston Villa striker has won an army of admirers this season off the back of some excellent performances in their attack which have presented Unai Emery with the welcome headache of whether to start with the explosive Colombian or rely on the tried-and-tested talents of Ollie Watkins. And while Watkins is generally seen as the favoured choice, the fact that Duran has 12 goals to his name this season, from just 28 appearances, shows he is a very worthy stand-in when called upon.

However, there is plenty of interest in taking the former Chicago Fire star off Villa’s hands, with our sources revealing earlier this season that Chelsea were among the clubs keeping a close watch on him.

Now, we can reveal that Saudi Pro-League side Al-Nassr are ready to join the hunt for Duran – at the express wish of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.

As we revealed a few days ago, one of Ronaldo’s specific requests before committing to continuing his career in the Gulf State was to have an increasingly competitive team, especially in attack, to help the Portuguese continue performing at a high level and, consequently, have a greater chance of the team winning a trophy.

This is why the Saudi club has set its sights on acquiring the services of a great young talent like Duran and we understand that Al-Nassr are working internally to prepare an initial offer and are ready to take concrete steps for him in the next few days.

However, we also understand that Al-Nassr’s desire to sign Duran won’t be ‘at any cost’ and they will refuse to bow to Villa’s demands if they hold true to their current valuation, which we understand to be around the £70m mark.

Indeed, the Saudi club, in fact, will have to be supported by the funds of the recruitment committee to advance their estimated offer, because the budget available to the club alone is not enough to cover such a huge investment.

And with little room for manoeuvre, Al-Nassr’s offer is likely to be a one-time bid only and if rejected, they will walk away from the deal, given they are not willing to enter into negotiations over a lofty fee.

Duran’s feelings on Al-Nassr transfer

In any case, it is our understanding that the Villans would prefer to keep the player until the summer.

This is why, as a precaution, the club coached by Stefano Pioli are also monitoring potential alternatives to Duran, especially in South America, though always for players under the age of 21.

Al-Nassr, though, will certainly do everything possible to land Duran with the Riyadh side receiving encouragement from the player that he is open to evaluating a possible transfer to Saudi Arabia and, above all, a chance to play alongside CR7.

However, even giving everything in this negotiation, together with the constraints of the Arab club and the very high demands of Aston Villa, it might not be enough to get a deal over the line.

Villa transfer news: Barcelona star offered; Buendia exit latest

Meanwhile, Emery and Monchi have been offered the chance to strengthen Villa’s defence this month by being presented with the opportunity to bring in former Man City defender Eric Garcia.

The 19-times capped Spain international has fallen right down the pecking order under Hansi Flick and has been made available for transfer with immediate effect following Villa’s failure to close out the signing of another LaLiga defender.

Elsewhere, more claims have been made about the possibility of Emi Buendia being allowed to leave Villa Park and hook up again with his former boss Daniel Farke at Leeds.

The Whites are pushing for promotion back to the Premier League and amid claims Villa are willing to sanction his exit if certain conditions are met, the possible move to Elland Road has been given a sizeable thumbs up.