Former Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran has joined Benfica on a season-long loan from Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia.
At just 22, the Colombia international is moving to the seventh club of his career, having recently spent time with Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg. Benfica will pay a £5.19m (€6.1m) loan fee and hold an option to buy for £25.5m (€30m) at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
“I’m happy. I keep saying this is the biggest club in Portugal. I’m very grateful to be here,” Duran said, adding that he aims to perform strongly, give everything and win trophies.
Duran began at Envigado in 2019 before switching to MLS side Chicago Fire in 2022. He joined Aston Villa for £14m in January 2023 and quickly endeared himself to supporters. A proposed move to West Ham collapsed in summer 2024, but after netting a memorable Champions League winner against Bayern Munich, he was sold to Al-Nassr for £71m in January 2025.
He scored eight times in 13 appearances in Saudi Arabia but left after half a season for a loan at Fenerbahce. When Jose Mourinho was dismissed less than a month after Duran’s debut, that deal was terminated in February 2026 and he moved to Zenit, where he scored three goals in nine matches. Now, he has the chance to settle at Benfica—his seventh club in as many countries.