Aston Villa have rejected a bid from West Ham for Jhon Duran and insist the striker will not be sold this month.
Duran is Villa's top scorer this season with 12 goals, although he may be on the bench again for Tuesday's Champions League match in Monaco, where Villa will hope to take an important step towards automatic qualification for the last 16.
It is thought West Ham's latest offer was nowhere near high enough to merit serious consideration from Villa, who are unhappy with the timing, the day before a key European match. The club's record sale was Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100 million almost four years ago, and Duran's value is not far below that.
But Unai Emery insists he is looking for a way to play Duran and Ollie Watkins in the same starting line-up, rather than opting for one or the other.
“I think I can find a solution to have them play together in the starting line-up, but they have to try to understand their role,” Emery said. 'My challenge is to get the best out of them, individually and then collectively. That may mean we have to play them together, but we have to work on it tactically.'
Villa defender Diego Carlos has not traveled to Monaco as the Brazilian is close to completing a move to Turkish club Fenerbahce, managed by Jose Mourinho. Emery hopes to replace Carlos with centre-back Loic Bade, who is valued by Sevilla at around £27m.
West Ham have struggled to find value for money for a striker in recent seasons. Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca are among those thrown out after big-money moves.
But with Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio injured, the club is willing to back manager Graham Potter with money to sign a striker. And Duran, a 21-year-old with a track record of scoring goals in England, is an attractive prospect.
Duran's form has also attracted interest from PSG, but the French champions are more likely to make a move in the summer for Villa valued at £80m.
Duran only signed a new contract until 2030 last October, including a huge pay increase.
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