Benfica join Chelsea and other English clubs in race to sign MLS striker Jhon Duran
According to Record (h/t Daily Mail), Portuguese giants Benfica join Chelsea and other Premier League clubs in the race to sign MLS striker Jhon Duran who plays for the Chicago Fire.
Apart from Benfica and Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are on the lookout for the young striker. The 19-year-old joined Chicago from the Colombian club Envigado in January of this year.
Duran is a Colombia international who has been one of the stars of the MLS in the last few months. In his first season for Chicago Fire, he scored eight goals and assisted six in 30 appearances in all competitions.
He is a centre-forward who can play on the wing. For his current club, he is mostly used as the former and sometimes as a left winger.
After picking up the ACL injury in the friendly last week, Chelsea striker Armando Broja is set to miss the rest of this season. That has left us a bit short in the number nine department.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz are the options, but neither showed good form in the first half of the campaign. Moreover, the latter is not a natural number nine as well.
Duran has risen to prominence in the last year or so and could be a good option in the squad. He can score goals, create chances and be a nuisance for the opposition defenders.
The Blues spent a good chunk of money on signing top young talents in the summer window. The Colombian striker can come and not only add to that list, but fight for a place in the senior team straight away.
More Chelsea News:
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- Chelsea youngster Cesare Casadei earmarked for a January loan move
The advantage we have in this race is that we have done business with Chicago Fire before. The MLS side became a feeder club when they allowed us to sign goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. Can we use the good relationship to get the Duran deal over the line? One would think so.