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Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr for a reported £65m plus add-ons.
The Colombia international, 21, leaves Villa two years after joining the Premier League club from MLS team Chicago Fire, having made 78 appearances and scored 20 goals.
Duran will join Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s team after Al-Nassr opted to sign him over Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
Aston Villa can confirm that Jhon Durán has joined Al Nassr for an undisclosed fee.
Everyone at Aston Villa would like to wish Jhon all the best in the next step of his professional career. pic.twitter.com/du26gbKUav
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 31, 2025
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Jhon Duran transfer stats
The purported fee for Duran makes him the second-most expensive player Villa have ever sold, only eclipsed by the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish in August 2021.
He has scored 12 goals in all competitions in 2024/25 and had featured in all 26 of Villa’s matches before serving a three-game suspension for a red card at Newcastle on December 26.
Duran initially proved himself a highly effective substitute with goals from the bench in four of their first five Premier League games of the season, acting as a partner to and occasional replacement for England international Ollie Watkins.
A number that carries history and glory at AlNassr 🌟
The iconic No. 9 is back! 🔥#DuránIsYellow pic.twitter.com/PTyvfllhTS— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) January 31, 2025
Villa: Duran transfer ‘good money’
Villa manager Unai Emery kept Duran, who had not scored in almost three hours of football, as an unused substitute for the 4-2 home win over Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday amid speculation over his future.
“If he is leaving, it’s because he wants [to],” Emery said after Villa qualified for the last 16. “I told you last week that I wanted him here.
“We are different people, different objectives. The club is working and we have to be intelligent in the market. Our objective here is to keep our structure because we want to keep the level high, and maybe we have to sell some players.
“I don’t know exactly until everything is done whether or not Jhon Duran is leaving – but if he does, it’ll be good news for us because it’s good money.”
From England to Saudi Arabia: Welcome to AlNassr, John Durán! 🏟️🔥 pic.twitter.com/V1ltVU6sdk
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) January 31, 2025
Duran, Ronaldo aim to lift Al Nassr
Al-Nassr made Cristiano Ronaldo the most high-profile player in Saudi football when he joined them on a reported salary of more than £160m in 2024.
Duran’s new teammates also include two-time African Footballer of the Year Sadio Mane, who shared the 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot during six years with Liverpool in which he lifted every major English trophy and the Champions League.
Despite their stellar names and vast wealth, Al-Nassr are yet to win the Saudi title since Ronaldo joined them, finishing 14 points behind champions Al-Hilal in 2023/24.
They are eight points behind the reigning champions with 16 games to play this time around, having replaced manager Luis Castro with former AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli in September.