Jhon Duran is ‘in talks’ to join his fourth team in just 18 months.
Jhon Duran looks likely to join his fourth club in just 18 months, as his unsettled career continues with a move to Portuguese side Benfica.
The 22-year-old is reportedly in talks to sign with Benfica this summer. This comes after his big £71 million transfer to Saudi club Al Nassr in January 2025.
Duran first caught attention when he joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in January 2023. He scored 20 goals in 78 games for Unai Emery’s team. His good form attracted interest from clubs like West Ham United before he chose to move to the Middle East on a big contract worth around £17 million a year.
After scoring eight goals in 13 games for Al Nassr, Duran was loaned to Turkish club Fenerbahce for a season. He netted five goals in 21 matches but left early in the winter window, moving on loan to Zenit St. Petersburg instead. There, he scored two goals in nine games before his loan ended this summer.
Now, according to A Bola, Duran is in talks to join Benfica on another loan this season. This would be his seventh club at just 22 years old. Benfica has admired him for a while, especially after watching him play against them in the Champions League play-offs last year. Interestingly, Mario Branca, who was Fenerbahce’s sporting director when Duran arrived there, has since moved to Benfica, so they might reconnect soon.
It’s said Duran has been told he’s no longer part of Al Nassr’s plans and was given permission by their CEO this week to find a new club. After missing out on Colombia’s final World Cup squad this summer—he has three goals in 17 international games—Duran is eager to get his career back on track.
Benfica is rebuilding under their new head coach Marco Silva after Jose Mourinho left for Real Madrid. They’ve already signed Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar, Jakub Kamiński from Koln, Enzo Barrenechea from Aston Villa, and taken Clément Lenglet on loan from Barcelona.