Chelsea spent the whole of deadline day trying to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, but it looks like they did have an alternative to him.
Victor Osimhen was Chelsea‘s main target for the centre-forward position, but in the end they could not convince the 25-year-old to join them.
The Blues did at least manage to sign Jadon Sancho from rivals Manchester United. Chelsea will pay around £25m for Sancho next year when his loan move becomes permanent.
Had deadline day gone differently for the club, another Premier League star could have also joined on loan it seems.
Chelsea tried to sign Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran on deadline day
With Chelsea struggling to convince Osimhen to move to Stamford Bridge, it has been claimed that the Blues turned to Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran at one point.
According to HITC, Chelsea tried to sign Duran on loan on deadline day, but Villa were not interested in letting the 20-year-old leave so late in the transfer window and rejected the Blues’ approach as a result.
Chelsea were linked with Duran earlier in the summer, but talk of a switch to west London went cold as the club turned their attention to Osimhen.
However, it has been reported that Chelsea always saw Duran as ideal for their project.
Jhon Duran’s impact this season
Some Chelsea supporters will feel that Duran is the one that got away after the start he has made to this season.
He scored in Villa’s 2-1 win against Leicester City on Saturday, which comes after his winner versus West Ham United at the very beginning of this campaign.
Duran is having to play second fiddle because of Ollie Watkins, but Unai Emery does seem to appreciate him.
“Jhon Duran is a special player,” Emery told Sky Sports (via beIN SPORTS) back in May.
Still just 20, though, and not exactly a proven striker just yet, you still cannot help but feel that Chelsea really needed a Victor Osimhen or an Ivan Toney, rather than Duran.
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