Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán Completes Transfer to Saudi Pro League’s Al Nassr 

Jhon Durán is headed to the Saudi Pro League. 

The 21-year-old Colombian professional footballer has completed his transfer from Aston Villa to Al Nassr as the Saudi Pro League side bolstered their forward line for the second half of the season.

Jhon DuránDurán’s form at Aston Villa had seen him garner considerable attention from clubs in Europe and beyond, and the signing is seen as a coup for Stefano Pioli‘s team, who already boast Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané among their ranks.

Durán has scored 12 goals in 29 games this season for Aston Villa, including memorable long-range strikes againsEverton in the Premier League and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Durán joined the midlands club from Chicago Fire for £18m ($22.3m) in January 2023 but has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Villa Park as Ollie Watkins‘ presence in the forward line kept him out of the team on a regular basis.

Wakins has also been linked with a move away from Aston Villa in January but the Colombia international’s exit means that Watkins is likely to stay with Unai Emery’s team, with sources telling ESPN on Wednesday that the club had rejected a bid from Arsenal for his services.

Durán was an unused substitute in Aston Villa’s Champions League win over Celtic on Wednesday, which secured their eighth-place finish and a spot in the round of 16.

“Everyone at Aston Villa would like to wish Jhon all the best in the next step of his professional career,” Villa said in a statement.

Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN that Aston Villa are interested in signing Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford before the transfer deadline.

Al Nassr have struggled to compete at the highest level in the Saudi Pro League this season, sitting fourth in the table and eight points off top despite the exploits of Ronaldo, who has scored a division-high 14 goals in 17 games.

Juventus Close to Wrapping Up Deal for Aston Villa Midfielder Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz is thisclose to kickin’ it in Italy…

Juventus is close to wrapping up a deal for the 26-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and Aston Villa midfielder, per ESPN sources.

Douglas Luiz, Luiz, a Brazil international is set to move to Turin for a fee of around £43 million ($54m). Juventus pair Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea are set to move to Aston Villa in a separate deal worth £18.6m.

A source has told ESPN that the deals are progressing and should be formally completed by the end of next week. United States midfielder Weston McKennie was initially part of the discussions between Juventus and Aston Villa, but has not been included in the move.

Luiz, who moved to Villa Park from Manchester City in 2019, was a key part of Unai Emery‘s team last season as they finished fourth in the Premier League and secured a place in the Champions League.

Villa have been under pressure to raise funds after reporting a loss of nearly £120m in March.

Luiz leaves Villa having made 204 appearances in five years, scoring 22 goals.

Villa have also agreed deals for Tim Iroegbunam to join Everton and for Omari Kellyman to join Chelsea.

Iling-Junior will move back to England after spending time in Chelsea’s youth set-up before joining Juventus.

The 20-year-old has represented England at Under-21 level and has made 45 appearances for Juventus since making his senior debut in 2022.

Barrenechea, 23, spent time on loan at Frosinone last season.

Aston Villa Agrees to Deal for Philippe Coutinho

It’s official…Philippe Coutinho is headed to Birmingham.

Aston Villa has agreed on a deal to sign the 29-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and former Liverpool midfielder on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season, the Premier League club announced on Friday.

Philippe Coutinho

The agreement, which is subject to Coutinho completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy, and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.

ESPN sources say that five Premier League sides held talks with Coutinho’s camp, with Villa and one other English club showing the most serious interest.

However, the presence of Steven Gerrard, Coutinho’s former teammate at Liverpool, helped swing the balance in Villa’s favor.

The Premier League club said in a statement: “Aston Villa and FC Barcelona have agreed terms for Philippe Coutinho to spend the rest of this season on loan at Villa Park.

“The agreement, which is subject to the player completing a medical and receiving a work permit, also includes an option to buy and Philippe will travel to Birmingham in the next 48 hours.”

Gerrard, who left Rangers to replace Dean Smith as the coach at Villa Park at the end of last year, played a key role in persuading the Brazilian to make the move to the Midlands.

Coutinho has previously been reluctant to leave Barca, but a desire to play regular football in a World Cup year has led to a change of mind.

Barca made Coutinho their most expensive signing ever when they paid Liverpool €160 million for him in 2018.

His first season at Camp Nou, playing alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, ended with a domestic double, but he lost his way in his second term.

He spent the 2019-20 season on loan at German giants Bayern Munich, scoring twice as they beat Barca 8-2 on the way to winning the Champions League, before returning to Spain for the following campaign.

Ronald Koeman said he would help Coutinho rediscover his best form, but injury problems held the player back under the Dutch manager.

He missed the second half of last season with injuries and has started just once, a 1-0 loss to Real Betis, since new coach Xavi Hernandez was appointed in November.

When asked about Coutinho’s departure in a news conference on Friday, Xavi said: “It says a lot about Coutinho that he’s gone out on loan because he wants to play, and reducing his salary. He’s a great pro.

“It wasn’t working for him here and he’s looked for a solution. He wants to succeed. We will see what happens with Samu [Umtiti.] I don’t have any complaints about anyone. All the players are professional. I’m delighted with those that are playing but also those that aren’t.”

Coutinho tested positive for COVID-19 last week, but should be cleared to fly to England in the coming days and could come into contention for Villa’s Premier League game against Manchester United on January 15.