Unai Emery insists he wants to ‘keep’ West Ham target at Aston Villa

Unai Emery has indicated he wants to keep Jhon Duran at Aston Villa after the striker’s goals on Saturday.

Duran has been heavily linked with moves to Chelsea and West Ham this summer, but for now he remains with Villa.

The Colombian also did his chances of staying at the Midlands club no harm on Saturday as he scored the winning goal against his potential suitors at the London Stadium in the 79th minute.

game. set. match. photo.twitter.com/lmh2xBx3G7

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 17, 2024

Duran has now scored nine goals in 50 games for Villa, but this is only his sixth in the Premier League.

West Ham are still said to be interested in the striker, despite having already signed Germany international Niclas Fullkrug this summer.

Emery determined to keep Duran at Aston Villa

After the match, Emery said he would like to keep Duran and that he is convinced he can do much more for Aston Villa in the future.

“We believe in him (Duran), his potential. We are always open to working with him. Today he helped the team, today was fantastic. We prepared the plan to use both Watkins and Duran for 90 minutes and they did a fantastic job,” Emery said of the 10-time Colombia international (via Sky Sports ).

“Sometimes it’s hard to accept mistakes, but in such cases a very young player, very passionate… wants to show who he is. He has a strong energy and wants to do everything. Sometimes he has to find a balance in everything. I’m determined to get the best out of him as a player and a person. I want him here. Nothing has changed. I want to keep him here.”