Jhon Duran, once a forward for Aston Villa, has secured a season-long loan move to Benfica from Saudi club Al-Nassr.
At only 22 years old, the Portuguese powerhouse becomes the seventh team in Duran’s professional journey, after his recent spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg.
The loan agreement sees Benfica pay £5.19m (6.1m euros) for the Colombian international, with a clause to buy him outright for £25.5m (30m euros) once the 2026-27 campaign concludes.
“I’m thrilled! I always say this is Portugal’s premier club. I feel truly thankful to have arrived,” Duran stated.
“My ambitions here are lofty. I aim to perform strongly, put in maximum effort, and win titles.”
Duran started out professionally at Colombian club Envigado in 2019, then transferred to MLS outfit Chicago Fire in 2022.
In January 2023, he made another switch, signing for Aston Villa in a £14m deal where he soon won over the supporters.
A proposed transfer to West Ham collapsed in the summer of 2024. However, following his memorable winning goal for Villa against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Duran was transferred to Al-Nassr for £71m in January 2025.
Even after netting eight times in 13 appearances for the Saudi team, he remained there just half a season before heading to Fenerbahce on a temporary deal.
Yet, manager José Mourinho was dismissed less than a month following Duran’s first appearance, leading to the loan being terminated in February 2026, paving the way for his move to Zenit.
Having scored three goals in nine matches in Russia, Duran now has an opportunity to establish himself at Benfica, marking his seventh club in as many countries during his fledgling career.
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