Overview
- Benfica completed the move on Tuesday, taking Durán on a season‑long loan from Al‑Nassr for a reported €6.1 million fee and an option to buy him for €30 million at the end of 2026–27.
- The transfer is Durán’s seventh club at age 22 after spells at Envigado, Chicago Fire, Aston Villa, Al‑Nassr, Fenerbahçe and Zenit and follows his January 2025 sale to Al‑Nassr for a widely reported fee near €77 million.
- Recent loans have produced modest returns that helped shape the loan‑with‑option structure: Durán scored around eight league goals in half a season for Al‑Nassr, five in 21 appearances for Fenerbahçe, and two to three goals in nine games for Zenit, with outlets varying on the exact Zenit tally.
- His time away from Villa included interruptions from managerial change at Fenerbahçe and a 58‑day medical treatment for osteoarthritis that limited continuity and influenced successive temporary moves.
- The arrangement transfers short‑term risk to Benfica and offers Durán a chance to reset his career; observers will watch whether he secures a regular role under Marco Silva and whether Benfica triggers the €30m option, which would determine Al‑Nassr’s ability to recoup its investment.