Aston Villa's £59m transfer target Jhon Duran told he is 'not a serious footballer'
Simon Jordan has insisted that, if Jhon Duran does indeed complete a move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr before Monday night's transfer deadline, it can only be considered a money-driven departure. Speculation is intensifying that Duran may leave Villa Park two years after he joined the club with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr keen on a deal.
Duran, 21, has scored 12 goals for Villa this season and signed a new contract in October which runs until 2030. Those developments have come on the back of a difficult summer in which Duran was the subject of speculation throughout - West Ham and Chelsea were eager to offer the Colombian a chance to relocate to London.
West Ham were keen again this month, as were PSG in France, but it looks as though if Duran is to leave in the coming days, then it'd be for Saudi - although there are no guarantees that a move will materialise.
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Jordan, who once owned and chaired Crystal Palace but is better known nowadays for his outspoken punditry, notes Duran's unquestionable talent and considers it a pity that the striker would leave a club, who are competing towards the top end of one of the most prestigious leagues in the world, to chase a lucrative contract.
"He's not a serious footballer, is he? He's 21 years of age, at the beginning of his career, with all the world in front of him, playing in the best league, for a big football club and he wants to go and play in Saudi. He's not a serious footballer," Jordan told talkSPORT. "It's a completely different dynamic and a different set of circumstances [to Ivan Toney's move].
"It's not a fair comparison. Ivan Toney was at a certain stage of his career. He wasn't going to get what he wanted in the UK, they weren't going to pay him it. With that in mind, this was his last opportunity to do so. This guy is at the beginning of his career. I understand the dynamic if you wanted to make the comparison.
"Jhon Duran is a young, 21 year old, Colombian international footballer with real talent. This isn't a football move, it's a money move. Call it for what it is. That's fine - he's a professional footballer. Anyone who has any football interest, including the player himself, would suggest it's a very poor move.
"If he's only in football, people like Ben White who don't like football and they just do it as a profession, if that's his motivation then off you go to Saudi and get paid fantastically - if that's your motivation. [If he comes back in a few years] To what end will your game have improved? He's going to be a multi millionaire anyway.
"He's not starting because he doesn't merit a start, and when he does start he will merit it. The question is football judgement. It's not a football move, it's a money move. It depends on what the agent wants from it."
