The Premier League season was not even over before Jhon Duran started to make the first hints that he could become a Chelsea player. Having emerged as a target for the Blues during the January transfer window, Duran didn’t hang around getting his name out there.
Despite only playing 500 minutes for Aston Villa, he made quite an impact when on the pitch, scoring five times. That included a brace against Liverpool late on to help secure Champions League football for Unai Emery in a chaotic 3-3 draw.
Just days later, he was catching the eye of some Chelsea supporters again. Not for his performances this time, but for his social media activity.
Taking to Twitter/X, and when we could still see what other accounts had ‘liked’, it was shown that Duran had been a fan of Christopher Nkunku’s goal celebration during Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Brighton. That game secured European football for Mauricio Pochettino’s side (at the time).
Nkunku, who came on in the first half as an early substitute following a nasty head injury to Mykhailo Mudryk, grabbed just a third goal for the club following a problematic first season. He didn’t disappoint those in the away end, though, bringing out his signature celebration.
Taking out a balloon, Nkunku blew up the novelty item in front of his supporters, leaning back and drawing a cheer. It was the first time that his well-known move had been brought out since his transfer in the summer of 2023, and it got people talking.
Images of Nkunku doing his balloon celebration did the rounds, with Duran seeming to like what he saw. He pressed the red heart on a Bleacher Report Football post picturing Nkunku doing his famous move.
Already following Duran is a former Chicago Fire teammate and now Chelsea loanee, Gabriel Slonina. In iconic fashion, the only person Duran himself follows is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 20-year-old may now be setting his sights on playing alongside Nkunku at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea opened talks with Villa. He could cost as much as £40million.
