Manchester United are reportedly ready to go head to head with Liverpool in the race to sign Chicago Fire wonderkid Jhon Duran.
Duran has caught the attention of many major European clubs after contributing eight goals and five assists in 27 appearances for Chicago in the 2022 MLS season. The 18-year-old winger has already earned two caps for Colombia and is poised to cross the Atlantic in a transfer next year.
He only joined Chicago Fire from Colombian side Envigado in January, yet is already causing a stir. According to The Sun, Duran is valued at around £10million and his representatives have been in contact with Manchester United recently.
But it is unlikely that United will have a free run at the right-sided attacker, given that Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea are both also on the scene. Liverpool signed Duran’s international teammate Luis Diaz in January and are tracking the Fire winger.
Meanwhile, Chelsea signed goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina from the MLS side over the summer, so already have a line of communication open. Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson is well aware of the transfer interest in his young star and isn’t in the least bit surprised.
"Well, I certainly hope that he's with us next year. But you know, when you're a player of that calibre and that talent at such a young age, I would be surprised if teams, especially European teams weren't looking or weren't paying attention," Hendrickson said earlier this month. "And also, getting a call-up to the Colombian national team I'm sure helped as far as the exposure for him.
"But he's a Fire player and he'll continue to be that until otherwise noted. But I can see why teams are very interested. The kid has shown what he can do at a very high level. He's come into a situation where he's basically had to carry the team on his back as far as the goal-scoring production goes, and I think he's handling that very, very well.
"You know, still not quite the finished product but he has a ceiling, and I always told you guys from day one, his ceiling along with Guti (Brian Gutierrez), their ceilings are very, very high, and they are both really showing that potential.
“I'm very happy for them. I'm loving the way they are progressing and the way their careers are improving. So he's here. He's our player. But I can see why teams are very interested."
Despite Hendrickson’s stance, The Sun reports that Chicago would be willing to sell Duran following a poor 2022 campaign for the team. Duran finished as the team’s top scorer, with eight goals, but Fire finished 12th in their Conference and 24th overall in MLS.
