Benfica Signs Duran on Loan from Al-Nassr
Benfica are closing in on a deal for Colombian international Duran, with the forward set to arrive at Estadio da Luz on loan from Al-Nassr in a move that could revive a career that has stalled at alarming speed.
The 22-year-old is expected in Lisbon in the coming days to undergo a medical before joining Marco Silva’s squad. Benfica will take him on a temporary deal, with Al-Nassr agreeing to shoulder the bulk of his sizeable salary to make the transfer viable.
From €77m headline act to expendable asset
Duran’s switch comes barely a year after Al-Nassr made him one of the most expensive signings in their history. The Saudi club paid €77 million to prise the former Aston Villa striker away in January 2025, handing him a contract worth around €20m per season until 2030.
The fee, the wages, the fanfare – everything pointed to a long-term centrepiece for Al-Nassr’s attack. The reality has been very different.
Across domestic and continental competitions, Duran managed just 18 appearances. No rhythm, no real run of games, no sense that he had truly settled. The investment quickly began to look like a burden.
This week, Al-Nassr CEO Jose Semedo effectively called time on the experiment, giving Duran the green light to find a new club and restart his career. Benfica have moved quickly to offer that lifeline.
Loans, frustration and a World Cup heartbreak
The problems did not start in Saudi Arabia. Before the move to Portugal was put in motion, Duran had already endured difficult loan spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg.
In Turkey, he never quite imposed himself. In Russia, the situation deteriorated further. Disciplinary issues at Zenit led to him being frozen out of the first-team squad, cutting off precious game time at a key stage of his development.
The consequences reached all the way to the international stage. Despite earning 17 caps for Colombia, Duran’s lack of regular club football proved decisive when the 2026 World Cup squad was named. He was left out, a brutal marker of how far his stock had fallen in a short space of time.
For a player once tipped as a long-term leader of Colombia’s attack, the omission stung. Benfica now inherit a forward with a point to prove and a career that needs structure as much as it needs goals.
Silva’s project and a new stage at Estadio da Luz
At Benfica, the plan is clear: no slow integration, no extended bedding-in period. Once the medical is completed, Duran will be thrown straight into pre-season training under Marco Silva to accelerate his adaptation to the team’s tactical demands.
Silva wants intensity from his forwards, movement between the lines and a ruthless edge in the box. Duran, at his best, offers power, mobility and a direct threat that can stretch defences. Benfica believe that, in the right environment, those qualities can be rediscovered and refined.
The club’s calendar leaves little room for hesitation. Benfica are bracing for a heavy schedule, balancing the domestic title race with the demands of the new Champions League league phase. Depth in attack is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
Duran’s arrival is designed to strengthen a frontline that must cope with rotation, injuries and the relentless pace of top-level competition. If he clicks, he gives Silva another profile of striker, one capable of unsettling opponents with physicality and vertical runs.
If he does not, Benfica have limited their risk with a loan structure and Al-Nassr still paying most of the wages.
For now, though, the equation is simple. A talent who has drifted from the spotlight walks into a club that specialises in rebuilding and relaunching careers. Lisbon offers Duran a new stage and, perhaps, his last chance to prove he belongs among Europe’s elite.
