West Ham move for Aston Villa star Chelsea snubbed ‘can’t be ruled out’ as striker hunt ramps up

West Ham plan to back new manager Julen Lopetegui in the transfer window and a new striker is one of his top priorities, with Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran on his shortlist.

Chelsea were heavily linked with the 20-year-old but have decided to focus on alternative targets and now have the opportunity to sign two Paris Saint-Germain forwards.

The Hammers are now the favourites to sign Duran this summer. They have already seen a £35m bid rejected by Aston Villa but their interest hasn’t gone away.

That’s according to transfer journalist Dharmesh Sheth, who’s told GIVEMESPORT that while West Ham’s links with Duran have gone ‘cool,’ he’s still on their radar.

“There’s been lots of reports about so many of the players that they’re [West Ham] looking at,” Sheth said.

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“Jhon Duran is one that they’ve looked at. It’s gone cool at the moment, but it’s still there, I’m told, in the background. I’m told don’t rule this one out at all.”

The race for Duran is about to heat up now he’s returned from international duty with Colombia at Copa America, where he made one appearance off the bench.

West Ham want Jhon Duran and N’Golo Kante

Aston Villa reportedly value Duran at £40m, which West Ham view as excessive, and it remains to be seen how high the London side are willing to go with their next bid.

A new striker isn’t the only thing on Lopetegui’s wish list though.

Sources close to West Ham have informed TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that the Hammers want to sign a new left-back, another centre-back and a defensive midfielder, as well as a centre-forward.

We can also confirm that former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante is Lopetegui’s top midfield target.

Kante left Stamford Bridge for Saudi side Al-Ittihad last summer and is open to returning to the Premier League.

The 33-year-old proved he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level when he put in some impressive performances for France at Euro 2024.

Kante could therefore prove to be a valuable addition to the West Ham squad if they can get a deal over the line this summer.

The Hammers hope to seal a deal for roughly £20m. Lopetegui is a big admirer of the Frenchman and tried to sign him during his brief spell in charge of Real Madrid in 2018.

Kante could provide competition for the likes of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek at the London Stadium, but clearly wouldn’t be a long-term option given his age.

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