The striker was already loaned out to Fenerbahce before landing in Zenit St. Petersburg, and now moves to Benfica on a one-season loan deal. The agreement was reached with Al Nassr, the club owning his sports rights, with whom he maintains an active contract through June 2030.

Al Nassr confirmed the move on social media. Although Duran’s name was closely linked to Galatasaray in Turkey during the opening weeks of the transfer window, the Colombian ultimately chose to accept Benfica’s offer. There, he will team up with Richard Rios, who is also a member of Colombia.

Duran’s first words as a new player

In his first words as a Benfica player, Jhon Jader Duran expressed gratitude for the support received from the fans. Furthermore, he assured that he will seek to respond to the fans’ affection with strong performances on the pitch.

The arrival of the forward generates high expectations in Portuguese soccer thanks to his physical traits, finishing ability, and overall potential. Benfica hope the Colombian can become an important piece for the new season.

Over the last six months, Duran made 16 appearances split between Fenerbahce and Zenit—a stat that reflects a recent lack of continuity. Now, he will look to log playing time and recover the form he displayed in previous stages.

Duran’s clubs

The attacker’s career has seen rapid acceleration, changing clubs several times over the last three years. Aston Villa, Al Nassr, Fenerbahce, and Zenit form part of a journey that now adds a new chapter with Benfica.

According to Tom Bogert, Aston Villa is keen on signing the winger and the transfer fee could be in the $22 million range, making Duran one of the highest outgoing transfers in MLS history. Duran has only been in MLS one season and scored 8 goals in 22 matches for the ailing Fire.

Duran has also earned three caps for Colombia since his move to MLS and is considered one of the country’s biggest prospects down the future. All that is needed from both sides is the player to pass his medical and gain a work permit, but it would seem that Jhon Duran is off to Aston Villa, as the Lions have announced.

Who are the other biggest outgoing transfers in MLS history?

The biggest outgoing transfers in MLS history are Miguel Almirón to Newcastle United for $27 million, then Ricardo Pepi to FC Augsburg for $20 Million. Maybe the best player ever exported out of MLS is Alphonso Davies to Bayern Munich for $13.5 Million, but before him is Cristiano Ronaldo teammate Gonzalo ‘Pity’ Martínez to Al- Nassr at $18 million.

Other notable MLS transfers are:

• Gabriel Slonina – Chelsea – $10 Million
• Diego Rossi to Fenerbahce – $10 Million
• Daryl Dike to West Bromwich Albion – $9.5 Million
• Tajon Buchanan to Club Brugge – $7 Million
• Brenden Aaronson to Red Bull Salzburg – $6.5 Million
• Matt Turner to Arsenal – $6 Million
• Jack Harrison – Manchester City – $4.4 Million