Zenit is the fourth club in 13 months 

©Fenerbahçe

Not so long ago, Jhon Durán was one of the hottest properties on the transfer market. Playing for Aston Villa, the now 22-year-old striker came off the bench on October 2, 2024, to score the celebrated 1-0 winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Rumours suggest that Arsenal, Barça, Real Madrid, PSG, and Borussia Dortmund were among the interested parties. However, on January 31, Durán decided against the top European clubs and moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia for €77 million, making him one of the five most expensive January transfers in football history.

Fenerbahçe followed, and now he has moved to Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia. Transfermarkt experts for the countries in which Durán has played or is currently playing assess the career of the former top talent, who is now more of a football globetrotter – or, alternatively, the “Colombian Mario Balotelli” and a “big disappointment”.

Career of MLS record transfer causes “some amusement”

Durán took his first big career step in January 2022 when he moved from his training club Envigado FC to Chicago Fire. The MLS club paid $2 million (around €1.7 million) for the striker, who had just turned 18 and had already played 47 professional matches (9 goals/4 assists) in his native Colombia. “In fact, his story is similar to that of many young South American players who have come to the MLS in recent years,” recalls Manuel Veth, Area Manager North America at Transfermarkt. “For quite a few, the league has become a place where they can develop further before moving to Europe. With Durán, however, it was clear early on that he was a special talent.”

As a teenager, he was directly involved in 14 goals in 28 games for Chicago (8 goals/6 assists), which quickly attracted interest from Europe. Even then, clubs such as Benfica, Eintracht Frankfurt, but also Liverpool and Manchester United were rumoured to be interested. “Aston Villa courted him most intensively,” says US expert Veth, “and the American owners used their insider contacts to sign Durán for around €16.4 million, with significant additional clauses included in the contract. Bonuses and a resale clauses have since made Durán the most expensive transfer in MLS history, with a transfer fee of €29.5 million.”

Despite or because of these good figures, Durán’s career path in North America is being followed with “a certain amusement. After his first year, there was never any doubt that he was a special player, but the fact that he didn’t use his talent after his move to Villa to land at a top European club is certainly a big topic of discussion at the moment.”

In England, Durán is seen as the Colombian Balotelli

At Aston Villa, Durán entered the big world stage in January 2023, and two years is the longest time he has spent at any club besides his youth club Envigado. The fact that the striker has not capitalised on the outstanding talent he showed at Villa, but instead opted for a big contract when he moved to Saudi Arabia and has since stagnated, has earned him a prominent comparison in England. “I’ve seen that he’s now been given the nickname ‘the Colombian Mario Balotelli’ because people assume that his attitude will prevent him from reaching his potential,” says Benjamin Littlemore of Transfermarkt.co.uk.

However, compared to the other side of the Atlantic, the opinion tends to be more towards horror than amusement: “People are still very shocked at how his career has developed since he left Aston Villa. At the time, he was linked with the top clubs in the Premier League and was considered one of the most sought-after strikers, but it seems that his real motivation is money.” In Birmingham, Durán always came across as a hot-headed character and was never happy sitting on the bench behind the in-form Ollie Watkins. “The fact that he changes clubs so often reinforces the impression that he can’t commit and fit into the plans of a club or manager. It’s a shame because he clearly has a lot of talent – not many strikers have been able to adapt to the Premier League as quickly as he has. But at the moment, his reputation here in England has suffered.”

Durán’s lucrative move to Al-Nassr and the beginning of the problems

Durán’s twelve-month odyssey began with his transfer to Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo on January 31, 2025. From a financial point of view, this is understandable, even at his age, as the Riyadh club guaranteed its record signing an annual salary of €20 million net until 2030 – a total of over €100 million for five and a half years. However, one year on, it is questionable whether he will fulfil this. At the very least, it appears that Al-Nassr would not stand in the way of a permanent departure, as Tiberius Radziejewski, Transfermarkt’s Area Manager for Asia, explains:

“Although Durán’s transfer fee was initially considered very high, he immediately caused a sensation with two braces in his first two league games and was quickly hailed as a brilliant signing. However, this momentum did not last long. Few goals followed, and his influence in important games, including in the AFC Champions League, remained minimal. Instead, the headlines increasingly focused on missed scoring opportunities, a lack of commitment and a tabloid story.” The English newspaper The Sun had reported that Durán would be flying in for training due to a law prohibiting him from living with his partner while unmarried. Al-Nassr quickly dismissed this as ‘fake news’ and stated that he lives near the stadium.

From then on, however, the focus was on stories off the pitch, and after only four months and twelve goals in 18 appearances, Durán was first transferred to Turkey and then to Russia, a league without international competitions. Radziejewski explains: “While his sporting impact at Al-Nassr was controversial but rather disappointing, the financial aspect is clearly the latter. Al-Nassr now pays most of his salary at Zenit, while his €77 million transfer fee has eaten up a significant portion of the club’s funds. This was particularly evident during the current transfer window, when Al-Nassr reportedly failed to sign Ronaldo’s former teammate, Karim Benzema, due to financial constraints. Instead, only two players who are not expected to be in the starting line-up joined the club. Ronaldo is said to have been so disappointed that Benzema moved to Al-Hilal instead of Al-Nassr that he briefly went on strike. The fact that Durán was ultimately involved in this through his expensive transfer fits in with a story from before his move to Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2025.

Durán’s time at Fenerbahçe and disciplinary problems

Durán spent the past six months on loan in Istanbul, but he wasn’t really happy there either, as Sinan Yener, editor at Transfermarkt.com.tr, outlines: “In the summer of 2025, there were reports that Durán had left Al-Nassr because Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t want him in the squad due to disciplinary issues. After weeks of negotiations, Fenerbahce even agreed to pay a salary of more than €20 million. He arrived in Turkey with high expectations. The club hoped he would make a similarly strong impression as Victor Osimhen.” However, Durán missed nine games at the start of the season due to a foot injury. Yener continues: “After his return, he only really made a difference in the games against Besiktas (2-3) and Galatasaray (1-1), where he scored important goals. After that, there were rumours of disciplinary problems here too, and he was benched more often.”

Despite the support of Fener president Sadettin Saran, Durán reportedly caused problems in training on several occasions. “Most recently, he is said to have had a heated argument with captain Milan Škriniar and lost the patience of coach Domenico Tedesco. Although Fenerbahce had no other striker, the club decided to replace Durán. Journalists close to the club reported two incidents. In the first, Durán shared a photo of himself using crutches, but shortly afterwards he was seen throwing them aside and going to the hairdresser. In another case, he was reportedly fined and, instead of paying in cash, he gave the officials his watch, arguing that it was of equal value. Durán’s time in Turkey lasted about six months. Apart from his goals against Galatasaray and Besiktas, he left Fenerbahce fans feeling very disappointed.”

Adaptation and psychological pressure: what awaits Durán at Zenit?

With his transfer to St. Petersburg, Durán has bid farewell to the big European stage for the time being. According to Transfermarkt market value coordinator and Russia expert Artjom Zavodnyk, the striker can expect a lot of pressure: “He will be the most valuable player by market value and – thanks to Al-Nassr’s partial takeover of his salary – the highest-paid player in the league, and he is expected to help Zenit win the title and the cup after they missed out on them last year. Fans, the media, and management expect him to adapt quickly.” Part of the deal is a €35 million purchase option, which does not necessarily reduce the pressure. “In my personal opinion, it’s a 50-50 gamble whether he will adapt so quickly and deliver the expected performance.”

Zenit coach Sergey Semak has recently had difficulties integrating well-known new players, even if they were of a high standard. “What’s more, the league is a bit special; not everyone adapts so quickly, and Durán won’t have much time to settle in properly. The story of Gerson, who was only there for six months, shows that Zenit expects a player of this calibre to deliver results immediately. If he doesn’t do that for a few months, he’ll be labelled a failure.” However, Zavodnyk does not consider the move to Russia in a World Cup year to be a problem: “Jhon Córdoba from Krasnodar is an integral part of the team and other players have also been regularly nominated. So if his performances are good and he’s not injured, he should have a chance of making the World Cup squad.”

How Durán is viewed in Colombia after the transfers

According to Samuel Vásquez Rivas, Transfermarkt’s Area Manager for Colombia, the decisions made by him and those around him led to his temporary exclusion from the Colombian national team. Durán was last nominated in June 2025, also due to injury. In November, when he was fit, he had to stay at home. “Durán has caused disappointment in Colombia. At Aston Villa, he was one of the greatest talents in the world, but his own decisions and those of his entourage have hindered his development,” summarises Vásquez Rivas. “Although he is still young and could possibly recover, his club career is steadily declining and he will not be competing in the European Cup for the time being.”

Durán is a striker who “could shine at almost any club in the world”. However, inconsistency and a lack of attitude led to his decline after his rapid rise. “There are fears that Durán could be a failed promise and that his breakthrough at Aston Villa was nothing more than a pipe dream for Colombia. Durán is the most expensive Colombian player in history, but for fans and the press, this label is bittersweet, as his transfer to Al-Nassr has shown that his priorities lie beyond shining in world football.” Where Durán will play from the summer of 2026 is still open – but there is no doubt that there could be another financially lucrative move further away from the big stage.