Aston Villa complete £18m signing of Jhon Duran from MLS’ Chicago Fire

Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Jhon Duran from the Chicago Fire in a deal reportedly worth up to £18 million ($22m).

 The Fire had previously announced that a deal was in place, with Villa confirming the signing on Monday. He’ll join the Premier League side on a permanent transfer after just one season in MLS. Internationally, Duran now has three caps for Colombia, having earned his first on September 24 when he replaced Radamel Falcao at half-time in a friendly against Guatemala.

Duran is just the latest starlet to be sold for big money by an MLS club, with the Fire responsible for two of those over the last year.

Both Duran and Gabriel Slonina have been sold to Premier League clubs, with the goalkeeper signing for Chelsea in 2022 before finishing the rest of the MLS season on loan.

For Duran, the move represents a major step up, having already proven himself as one of the more dynamic young stars in MLS after scoring eight goals in his debut season.

 Villa have a bit of a break between games after this past weekend’s 1-0 win over Southampton. Their next match will come on February 4, when they’ll play host to Leicester.