Liverpool and Chelsea are reportedly battling each other in a transfer chase to sign MLS wonderkid Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire.
The 18-year-old only joined the Fire in January of this year, having burst onto the scene in his native Colombia. He made his debut for Categoria Primera A side Envigado aged just 15, going on to score 10 goals in 49 appearances for El Equipo Naranja.
His performances in South America earned him a £2.3million move to Chicago, where he has quickly become a highly-rated star. He has scored eight goals and notched six assists in all competitions so far this season, though Chicago have struggled.
Two of those goals came on Sunday, when he scored a brace to help the Fire to a 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati. Performances like that which he delivered at TQL Stadium have attracted attention from leading European clubs.
According to reports in the United States, Liverpool and Chelsea are 'in the chase' for the Colombian international. It is expected that bids of more than £10m will be submitted in the January transfer window.
By that time, he will have 18 months remaining on his contract with Chicago, though the Fire do hold the option of extending that by a further two years. Boss Ezra Hendrickson certainly believes Duran and team-mate Brian Gutierrez will play at the top level.
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"I've said this from the beginning, they both have very, very high ceilings. If we talk about Jhon, he is a player that, once he gets it all together, he can be a really, really special player. He has all the tools," he said following the win over Cincinnati.
"But the ceiling is very, very high for both of those guys, and you know, that's why they are playing. When guys show in practice that they are ready to step on the pitch and play, they will get minutes.
"These two have especially excelled throughout the year and we like the progress that they have been making and it showed tonight. Jhon Duran, he's a very tough guy to handle for defenders in this league, and we expect that from him going forward."
Duran himself appears to be committed to Chicago, despite a dreadful season that has left them third from bottom in the Eastern Conference. Whether his outlook will change amid reports of European interest remains to be seen, but he insisted he will continue to "put in the work".
"The hard work of the team also helps me but mostly it's wanting to do the right things and to keep working hard so that you can keep doing the right things," Duran said.
"And also, it's listening to people around you. There are people that are very important around you who are always trying to help you, so you have to listen to them as well. But it's going to just be working hard this year.
"Unfortunately, we are not in the play-offs but we have to continue to work and continue to do things right. So we are going to continue working so things can keep going right and we can keep improving."
