Man Utd have chance to fix £18m error as new Arsenal transfer battle may loom

Strikers appear to be the flavour of the summer for clubs in the Premier League. Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all been linked to new centre-forwards, with Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko mooted as potential targets.

But for the clubs keen on adding a new goalscorer to their ranks ahead of the 2025/26 season, they might be about to be handed a golden opportunity. That's because just six months after ditching Premier League side Aston Villa for Al Nassr, Jhon Duran is expected to leave the Saudi Pro League outfit and make a return to Europe.

It's reported by Fabrizio Romano that the striker's time in Saudi Arabia is over, having cost Al Nassr a fee in the region of £64million in January. Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho, have emerged as the early front-runners, but given the impact Duran made during his brief stint in England's top-flight, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Premier League clubs reignite their interest.

For United, it wouldn't be the first time they've been charmed by Duran, as the 20-time champions are said to have extensively scouted the Colombian ace during his time in MLS. Duran eventually moved to Villa from Chicago Fire for around £18m in January 2023, with United having reportedly had to cool their interest because of PSR and FFP concerns.

United, then managed by Erik ten Hag, had splurged over £200m in that year's summer transfer window, spending big on the likes of Antony, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez. Instead, the Red Devils were forced to settle for Wout Weghorst on loan in the January transfer window, having missed out on the chance to sign Duran.

This summer could give United and Arsenal, should they grow frustrated with their pursuits of Gyokeres and Sesko, a chance to rectify the mistake of not pouncing on Duran sooner. In 78 matches for Villa, Duran found the net an impressive 20 times, indicating he is capable of cutting it in the big time for an elite Premier League side.

It comes after Villa boss Unai Emery revealed the club had little choice but to sell Duran in January, hinting the attacker's head was turned by Saudi interest. The Spanish coach explained: "It helps a lot but the decision [to leave] was more for him [Duran].

"He decided he preferred to leave. Of course we tried to work with him for two years here, trying to get the best from him, working hard every day with him. Our commitment was high commitment to work and to try to improve and he did it, but at this moment he decided to change his way and at the end we accepted because the deal was good."