Aston Villa sell Duran to Al-Nassr for reported €77M initial fee

Jhon Duran joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in a big-money move from Aston Villa on Friday.

The deal is worth €77 million plus add-ons, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

Duran supplements an attack that already features Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and former FC Porto playmaker Otavio. The squad also features Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, and Mohamed Simakan. Stefano Pioli, who led AC Milan to the Serie A title in 2022, is the team's head coach.

Al-Nassr's capture of Duran is expected to end their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface, The Athletic's David Ornstein reported Wednesday. Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso said Monday that the Nigerian striker was in talks to leave the club during the January transfer window amid reports of an Al-Nassr bid exceeding €50 million.

Duran's switch from England to the Middle East could increase Aston Villa's determination to retain fellow striker Ollie Watkins. The Englishman was the subject of a reported £60-million bid from Arsenal that Villa rejected Tuesday. Villa boss Unai Emery has since insisted that Watkins wants to remain at the club.

Colombian marksman Duran has 12 goals over 29 Villa appearances in all competitions this season but started only seven of those matches. His overall Premier League record stands at 12 goals over 55 outings.

He cost the English club up to £17.75 million to sign from Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire in January 2023.