Jose Mourinho's move for €20 million striker could open up transfer opportunity for West Ham

Jhon Duran is a player in demand following his incredible performances for Aston Villa at just 20 years old. The Colombian forward has been linked with a move away from the club this summer for a move to a Premier League club and it is believed West Ham and Manager Julen Lopetegui are huge admirers.

However, like West Ham it is also well known that Jose Mourinho's side Fenerbahce are keen to sign a striker as well. However, a recent report by Marca suggests that the Turkish side are interested in one of Julen Lopetegui's trusted strikers.

Jose Mourinho's move for €20 million striker could open up transfer opportunity for West Ham

Since Jose Mourinho's high profile move to Fenerbahce, the Super Lig side are being linked with most high-profile players on the market. It has been reported by Marca that Fenerbahce are now lining up a move for Sevilla star Youssef En-Nesyri. En-Nesyri has been among the top goalscorers with 73 goals for Sevilla since his arrival in January 2020 and enjoyed a great goalscoring form during Lopetegui's time at the club. The Moroccan striker won two UEFA Europa Leagues with Sevilla as well.

Marca even quoted the Fenerbahce president's willingness to sign a striker quickly, saying,

""We really wanted En-Nesyri, we still do, but we are running out of patience. I have given Mario Branco 48 hours. If it happens, it happened; if it doesn’t happen, we will go for options B, C, D or E""

- Ali Koc (Fenerbahce President)

And it looks like Jose Mourinho is set to land the 27-year-old striker, with transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano reporting,

"Fenerbahçe are closing in on the final details for Youssef En-Nesyri deal.

Package in excess of €20m agreed with add-ons, working on details on personal terms then time to travel for medical."

- Fabrizio Romano

The fee comes as a surprise with West Ham having previously learned a £17 million fee for the former Sevilla star. With Fenerbahce signing Youssef En-Nesyri, it means that West Ham's focus lies on Jhon Duran. Other targets like Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Newcastle's Callum Wilson are already ruled out due to their high transfer fee and injury concerns.

The Hammers were also monitoring Villarreal's Alexander Sorloth, however, considering his goalscoring struggles during his short stint with Crystal Palace in the Premier League, West Ham are having second thoughts about making a move for the Norwegian forward.

As a result, there is a chance that despite missing out on En-Nesyri, another exciting talent in attack is being linked to West Ham. According to recent reports from Italian outlet, AreaNapoli, West Ham is set to land Jhon Duran for a fee close to around £31 million from Aston Villa.