According to Record, Portuguese giants SL Benfica have joined Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in the race to sign Chicago Fire striker Jhon Duran. It is reported that Chicago Fire are willing to sell their star youngster for around 10 million euro.
Duran is a Colombian international who has emerged as one of the league’s rising stars in recent months. In January of this year, the 19-year-old centre-forward with wing capabilities joined Chicago from Colombian club Envigado. In his first season with the Chicago side, he had eight goals and six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea striker Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL in a friendly last week. That leaves the Blues being a little short on the number nine. The options currently are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kai Havertz, but neither has played well in the first half of the season. Furthermore, the latter is not a natural striker, hence the Colombian is one of the preferred choice for the London based club.
Duran has gained prominence in the last year or so and could be a great addition to the squad. He has the ability to score goals, create chances, and be a nuisance to opposing defenders.
The Blues have an advantage in this race because they have previously done business with Chicago Fire. After signing goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina from the MLS club earlier this year, the MLS team has somewhat become a feeder club for the Blues. Hence, the Stamford Bridge based side are confident of closing the deal for the future star too in this transfer window.
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