Aston Villa offered “quick” star who just suffered Duran knock-on effect

With Jhon Duran on his way to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Aston Villa have now reportedly been offered the chance to sign an instant replacement who saw his own move ditched courtesy of Duran.

Aston Villa transfer news

Aston Villa are one of the sides to watch in the closing stages of the transfer window. Suddenly, the Villans have cash to burn following Al-Nassr’s reported €77m (£64m) move to sign Duran from the Midlands club, and that has instantly seen several potential reinforcements emerge.

Looking to replace the young forward, it’s now public knowledge that Aston Villa are, indeed, interested in both Chelsea’s Joao Felix and Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Asensio ahead of the deadline, with sporting director Monchi confirming the news in a recent interview relayed by Fabrizio Romano, albeit whilst reiterating the difficulty of both potential deals.

The exciting duo aren’t the only players who could yet earn a mid-season switch to the Midlands, however. According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Aston Villa have now been offered the chance to sign Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen after the forward saw Al-Nassr choose Duran over his signature in a late twist.

Denied a January move, the Nigerian could now become an ideal solution for Aston Villa in a move that would undoubtedly be full of irony given it’s Duran’s exit which has seemingly presented such an opportunity. Whether the Villans take up the chance to sign the forward this late in the window remains to be seen, however.

“Quick” Boniface could replace Duran

Still just 24 years old, Boniface would instantly replace Duran at Aston Villa and once again boost Unai Emery

‘s attacking options. A historic Bundesliga champion after last season’s invincible campaign under Xabi Alonso, the forward is certainly someone who’s familiar with the big stage and a player who could take the Villans to consecutive top four finishes.

A player who’s struggled for minutes just as Duran has done at times at Aston Villa, Boniface has remained as clinical as ever – outperforming his expected goals and scoring six goals in just 658 minutes of action.

The Leverkusen star has earned plenty of praise during his time in Germany, including from Alonso. The Spaniard told reporters as relayed by the Bundesliga’s official website: “Victor’s a real problem for opposition defences. He’s powerful, quick and makes runs from deep. He has a good mentality and works for the team, not for himself.”

Alas, with just three days to go until the window closes, the Leverkusen manager could yet be left with no choice but to bid farewell to his star striker if Villa come calling.