Chicago Fire striker Jhon Duran looks set to spark a transfer cascade of dominoes as Benfica have joined Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the hunt for the Colombian, though he may also hint at the future of Chicago Fire. Goncalo Ramos.
The 18-year-old has already become a first-team regular at club level and looks to have a promising future, having scored eight goals in MLS.
Dhuran notably earned his first cap for Colombia in September, replacing former United and Chelsea striker Radamel Falcao as a substitute against Guatemala.
According to the Portuguese outlet Record, the player caught the attention of Benfica, and the English trio had already asked about Dhuran in October.
However, the real story here is likely to involve Goncalo Ramos in some way, as the Portuguese giants could see Dhuran as a potential replacement for the Portugal star.
Ramos became the youngest scorer of a World Cup hat-trick since Pelé during the Selecao’s 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland in the World Cup round of 16.
Erik ten Hag is known to be an admirer of the Benfica forward and has been linked to United with a move for the 21-year-old.
While it is believed that a mammoth offer would be required to move Ramos away from the Primera Liga leaders, that stance could be softened somewhat if Benfica manage to secure Dhuran as a replacement.
Como Aguias is enjoying a fantastic season and is eight points clear of Porto at the top of the league table, with Ramos’s nine goals in eleven games a big factor.
But selling him for good money and replacing him with Dhuran, who is reportedly available for just €10m, would fit very well with Benfica’s transfer policy.
Having made a fortune with Darwin Núñez and seamlessly replacing him with Goncalo Ramos, there is every reason to suspect that Benfica believe they are capable of repeating the trick with Jhon Duran.
Whether that means Ten Hag could secure his primary target for the center forward position in January remains to be seen, but it is notable that Ramos’s club appear to be planning his departure.
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