Welcome to football in 2025, where there is an £80million price tag on a player with seven Premier League starts. That is Jhon Duran, and six months ago Aston Villa almost flogged him for half that price.

Instead, after seven goals in less than 700 league minutes (to go with five in less than 500 last season), he is one of the in-demand forwards in the world. Aged just 21, Duran is a big story in the final week of the January window.

Despite making 29 appearances in 2024/25 - prior to Villa's final Champions League group phase match at home to Celtic on Wednesday - Duran has only just clocked over 1,000 minutes. Two-and-a-half years on from his mid-season arrival from America, he is yet to reach 1,500 in the league.

It is this strange part to Duran which adds to the draw. Unai Emery has made him one of the most effective substitutes but the demanded transfer fee does not reflect that of a mere impact player.

As Arsenal look to add attacking power to their squad in the midst of injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, links to Duran have surfaced. Chelsea, first interested in Duran 12 months ago when they pushed for an initial loan, are less closely tipped this time round but cannot be ignored from the conversation.

Duran was a target for the club over the summer before they turned to others. West Ham tried to sign him for £40million at the time and have already put in a £57million offer here. Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr are said to be choosing between Duran of the less expensive £60million option in Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface.

Here, football.london writers debate what they think will happen for the Columbian forward.

Tom Coley

£80million is a lot of money but top class strikers don't come cheap. It would be a statement of intent for Arsenal to go out at this stage of the window and try to sign him. For Chelsea it would look funny given their reservations not long ago.

There is an interesting profile point to be made here for Arsenal, though. Duran is an unhinged player that does by his own mind. Emery has shown that and it's a reason that his Premier League minutes are still pretty low.

Would Arteta put up with the unpredictability? It's a risk for a manager who loves control so much. It would be mightily enjoyable to see Arsenal at least have a go.

Duran has everything to offer that something different to Arsenal. He is big, he is a shooter, and he is not tied to team instructions or Premier League norms. It might be chaos but Arsenal are a team that need a kick, some fire, and some Duran. Why not?

Chelsea, meanwhile, are after an out-and-out to provide competition to Jackson that Christopher Nkunku simply doesn't. A swap deal for them with Mathys Tel might be possible but he is a deceiving attacker and isn't proven up front yet.

It would be a risk for them to splash the cash but that doesn't mean it's unlikely.

Jake Stokes

Arsenal need Jhon Duran just as much as Chelsea, so both clubs should go all out for the 21-year-old striker this month. Mikel Arteta needs a maverick to lead his frontline, meanwhile, Enzo Maresca needs somebody to pile the pressure on Nicolas Jackson.

The Gunners should've signed a new frontman in the summer, but they didn't and it's cost them far too many points in the Premier League title race. Viktor Gyokeres was right thee. He was available. Yes, he would've cost an arm and a leg, but he's lightyears ahead of Kai Havertz, who's not been great at all.

By signing Duran, Arsenal will finally have a talisman. A focal point. Someone the Gunners can actually rely on to finish their dinner. Fortunately for Arteta, he can guarantee the Aston Villa star regular game time across all competitions – unlike Maresca.

At Chelsea, Duran will be competing with Nicolas Jackson for a place in the starting lineup. The latter has struggled lately, but lets not forget he enjoyed a brilliant first half of the season!

The Emirates Stadium seems like a far more attractive option for the Colombian, but I can't see the Gunners splashing the cash this month. So, if Duran were to leave Villa Park in the January transfer window, he goes to Stamford Bridge.

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Amie Wilson

The case of Duran is a curious one. He has proven himself to be a dangerous forward in the Premier League, but is yet to nail down a starting place at Aston Villa, and that’s where I think the problem comes in.

Do clubs want to be spending £80 million on a player who is yet to be a regular starter in the Premier League, despite the goals he’s scored? Is the striker as effective from the start as he is from the bench for Villa?

For Unai Emery, he has the choice between England man Ollie Watkins and Duran in the starting XI. The manager tried to play them both together against Monaco just last week, but admitted himself than the experiment didn’t work with them getting in each others way.

There’s no doubt that Arsenal are in the most disparate need for a goalscorer. While he has shown his quality in glimpses, spending £80 million on a player who is mainly used as a substitute would be a gamble.

Jack Flintham

Strikers who score goals are worth their weight in gold in the current football climate and ultimately become unattainable when they have proven themselves. As such, Chelsea, Arsenal and other top clubs need to be smarter in the transfer window.

They need to be picking out the top talent before anyone else gets to them first. They need to spot potential before it is realised and that is what is right in front of them when it comes to Jhon Duran.

Duran has 12 goals in 29 appearances for Villa this season and that is despite him being used almost entirely as an impact sub behind Ollie Watkins. He has raw talent which you feel is bound to ignite in the near future so why not splash the cash now.

A price of £59m is peanuts if Duran reaches the potential he is currently showing. Make no mistake, if either Chelsea or Arsenal miss the opportunity to sign him now, they won't be able to afford him in the future when he comes good.

Isaac Seelochan

The Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran dynamic at Aston Villa does not appear to work. Unai Emery only chooses to play one up-front and both players are good enough to start for most Premier League teams.

It's why I think one of them is likely to leave, and Watkins has more credit in the bank from his performances across a longer period, which suggests it will be Duran. However, I would be surprised if Villa let him leave in January with so little time to replace him.

And there will be other, potentially better options for Chelsea and Arsenal in the summer so he may see his options limited. If Duran gets the opportunity to join either team in January, I imagine he will go, but it doesn't make much sense from a Villa perspective when they are still fighting in three competitions.