West Ham United have made a successful £57million bid for Aston Villa striker John Duran, according to various reports.
The Colombian forward was on West Ham's radar during the summer transfer window and looked at one stage to have his heart set on a move to the London Stadium.
But after learning of Aston Villa's minimum asking price of £40mWest Ham went in a different direction with their business and instead signed Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund.
Six months on and new West Ham manager Graham Potter finds himself behind established striker Danny Ings due to injuries to Fullkrug, captain Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, who was lucky to escape with his life after being involved in a car accident before Christmas.
Athletics report that West Ham have rekindled their interest in Duran, with a sensational £57m bid lodged with the Champions League hopefuls. The offer is expected to be rejected, with Villa no longer willing to entertain offers for the lively 21-year-old.
Duran has scored seven Premier League goals for Villa this season, despite competing for minutes with Ollie Watkins up front, and signed a new six-year contract in October as a reward for his electrifying start to the season. His progress under Unai Emery has also seen him score a stunning winner in the a memorable 1-0 win over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
West HamThe joint top scorers are Tomas Soucek and Bowen with five goals, but the latter is currently sidelined after breaking his leg in the heavy 5-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool at the end of December.
Antonio is not expected to play again this season, while Fullkrug can be out of action for up to three months after picking up a hamstring injury in West Ham's FA Cup third round defeat, ironically by Villa. The two meet again in Premier League on Sunday after meeting on the opening day of the season at the London Stadium – a match Duran scored to shoot villa for a 2-1 victory.