Jhon Duran had the world at his feet when he was at Aston Villa. After impressing at Chicago Fire, the Premier League side made the decision to sign the then 20-year-old for £14.75 million.
After a concerning 2022/23 where he went goalless, Duran soon got to grips with English football and began scoring goals at an impressive rate.
Despite playing second-fiddle to Ollie Watkins, Duran scored 12 times in the opening half of the 2024/25 campaign as he established himself as one of the world’s best young players.
However, doubts soon emerged regarding his career with the Villans. Instead of making the move to one of the world’s best clubs, Duran decided to make the shock £64m move to Saudi Arabian outfit, Al-Nassr.
Jhon Duran Has Struggled Since Move to Saudi Arabia
Duran was expected to tear Saudi Arabian football apart alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. However, things have not gone as planned for the Colombian.
The striker had a decent first season at Al-Nassr as he scored 12 times in 18 matches. However, despite that decent strike-record, he was loaned to Fenerbahce for the 2025/26 season.
Duran did not hit the heights expected of him for the Turkish club, scoring just five times in all competitions. European football journalist Andy Brassell spoke about Duran’s time in Turkey back in December. Speaking to talkSPORT, he said:
“A lot of his season so far has been stymied by injury, but I guess if you’re a Villa fan, you already know the story. When he’s good, he looks better than anyone else. When he’s not good, you’re just left scratching your head, really.
“So, I guess Jhon Duran isn’t in a massively different place than he was when he left Villa in the first place because we’ve seen him impact some big matches in a very positive way.
“His first goal for Fenerbahce was the equaliser in the 95th minute in the Intercontinental derby against Galatasaray. There’s nothing that could make you more popular.
“We’re talking about Gazza scoring in the Rome derby for Lazio against Roma. That sort of thing. That one goal covers a multitude of sins, I suspect, but when Jhon Duran is playing well, he’s so incredibly convincing.”
Jhon Duran’s Move to Shock Club Imminent
Now 22, Duran is set to be on the move once again this month. That’s because his loan with Fenerbahce has been terminated and he is set to make a temporary switch to Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg. Fabrizio Romano confirmed the news on social media, writing:
“Jhon Durán to Zenit St Petersburg, here we go! Documents completed now between the clubs. Fenerbahçe break loan from Al Nassr, new loan move from Al Nassr to Zenit for Durán. Lille was never close as option, Durán will join on straight loan — NO buy option clause.”
Duran will make the move after being linked with multiple Premier League clubs, including Leeds, earlier in the transfer window. Duran will be hoping he can rediscover his goalscoring form at Zenit, who are currently second in the Russian Premier League, a point behind Krasnador.
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