Jhon Duran 'in talks' to join his fourth club in 18 months

Jhon Duran looks set to join his fourth different club in just 18 months, with his unsettled career expected to continue at Portuguese club Benfica.

The 22-year-old is reportedly in talks to join the Lisbon giants this summer, having only completed a staggering £71million move to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in January 2025.

Duran rose to prominence when he joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire back in January 2023, where he netted 20 goals in 78 appearances for Unai Emery's side. That form led to serious transfer interest from several clubs, including West Ham United, before he opted to move to the Middle East on a bumper contract believed to be worth £17 million per year.

However, after just eight goals in 13 appearances for Al Nassr, the Colombian forward opted to join Turkish club Fenerbahce on a season-long loan move. He only managed five goals in 21 appearances for his loan side, before his deal was cut short in the winter window and he moved to Zenit St. Petersburg instead.

Duran netted two goals in nine appearances for the Russian side before his loan move came to an end earlier in the summer. A Bola claims the striker is now in talks to join Benfica on another loan for the forthcoming season, marking the seventh club of his professional career at the age of just 22.

The report claims that the Colombian has been a long-term target for Benfica, and he caught the eye of the Portuguese side when he faced them for Fenerbahce in the Champions League play-off round last year. Mario Branca was the Turkish club's sporting director when they signed Duran on loan and subsequently moved to Benfica, where a reunion could take place in the coming days.

It is also claimed that Duran has been told he is no longer in Al Nassr's plans and received permission earlier this week from the Saudi Club's CEO to explore a summer transfer. The former Aston Villa favourite wants to revive his career after he was overlooked by Colombia for a place in their World Cup squad this summer. He has three goals in 17 international appearances, but was not selected for the final tournament, having been named in their preliminary squad.

Benfica are looking to rebuild under new head coach Marco Silva this summer after Jose Mourinho returned to Real Madrid. They have already signed Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar, Jakub Kamiński from Koln and Enzo Barrenechea from Aston Villa on permanent deals, while Clément Lenglet has arrived on loan from Barcelona.