Former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has joined Benfica on a season-long loan from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
The Portuguese giants will be the seventh club of Duran’s career at the age of just 22, following recent stints with Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg.
Benfica will pay a £5.19m (6.1m euros) loan fee for the Colombia international with the option to make the move permanent for £25.5m (30m euros) at the end of the 2026-27 season.
“I am happy! I continue to say that it is the biggest club in Portugal. I am very grateful to be here,” said Duran.
“I have very high expectations of being here. I want to play well, give my all and become champion.”
Duran began his professional career with Colombian side Envigado in 2019 before earning a move to MLS team Chicago Fire in 2022.
He was on the move again in January 2023 when he joined Aston Villa for £14m and quickly became a fan favourite.
A move to West Ham fell through in the summer of 2024, but after scoring a famous winner for Villa against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Duran was sold to Al-Nassr for £71m in January 2025.
Despite scoring eight goals in 13 games for the Saudi Arabian side, he stayed for only half a season before moving to Fenerbahce on loan.
But manager Jose Mourinho was sacked less than a month after Duran made his debut and the loan was cancelled in February 2026 so he could join Zenit.
After bagging three goals in nine games in Russia, Duran now has the chance to make a home at Benfica, his seventh club in the seventh country of his young career.
Source:
www.bbc.co.uk
