From Arsenal & Real Madrid transfer links to Russian obscurity: How Jhon Duran's budding career has already gone from the sublime to the downright bizarre

After a fairly unremarkable start to life at Villa having joined from MLS' Chicago Fire in January 2023, it's not an overstatement to say that Duran took English football by storm in the early part of last season. The Colombian scored four times in Villa's opening five Premier League games - all as a substitute - including an absolutely outrageous winner against Everton from way, way out.

He replicated that form in Europe, netting in two out of the Villans' opening three Champions League league phase matches, bagging himself another late winner in the remarkable victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park to etch himself into the club's folklore.

Those exploits didn't earn him a starting berth, though, with England international Ollie Watkins preferred by head coach Unai Emery. Speaking at the time, the Spanish tactician said: "His potential is huge and I want to get the best of him, support him, help him and be demanding of him. He is taking confidence from scoring goals. We have to feel comfortable with both strikers and proud of how we can play with two strikers, one or both. This is the challenge we have."

However, amid a Premier League goal drought between late September and early December 2024, with his minutes still limited, it became clear that all was not well behind the scenes. While he had scored in the Champions League against Bayern and Bologna, Duran had developed a reputation for being temperamental (perhaps unsurprisingly, he idolises the notoriously hot-headed Zlatan Ibrahimovic).

A first flashpoint came when he reacted very badly to being substituted in the 66th minute against the Italian side in October, having been handed a rare start. The striker was caught on camera punching and kicking the seats in the Villa Park dugout, before throwing something in the vague direction of the touchline in a shocking outburst.

Emery tried to play down the situation afterwards, but it was becoming increasingly clear that he was struggling to man-manage the fiery Colombian. "I have no problem with his reaction," he said. "Every message we send in the dressing room is about respect and having our values. Some young players can react a little bit, but it is under my control. His first start of this year - always it is more difficult to start when the opponents are fresh."

Discussing his relationship with the Villa head coach in an interview with Sky Sports the following month, Duran said: "There are [moments of] love and hate, sometimes! But no, I feel very grateful to him, very grateful to him and his coaching staff. We've had many problems, but they're normal, I think.

"Sometimes it happens, and there are sparks! So we're constantly fighting! But I think it's normal for a young man of my age, and a person like him who already knows a lot, who has already achieved so many things. And the truth is, I feel very, very grateful to be in this space, and that he's a person as great in football as he is. Yes, sometimes we argue. Because he has his point of view, I have mine, and I've never been the one who stays quiet. If I have something to say, no matter who it is, I say it."

While his tone in that interview may have been jovial, his words spoke to his underlying discontent with his role as a super-sub. By December he had generated transfer links with the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Chelsea - who had tried to sign him in January that year when he was really an unknown quantity - despite penning a new long-term contract two months prior.

He seized his opportunity when he was handed his first league start of the season against struggling Southampton, netting the winner and following that up with strikes against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City as he was also named in the starting XI in Villa's next two games. However, just when it seemed like he had earned Emery's trust, he blew it.

With his side already 1-0 down against Newcastle at St James' Park on Boxing Day, Duran was adjudged to have raked his boot up Fabian Schar's back as he fell on top of the centre-back shortly after the half-hour mark, and he was duly given his marching orders. Villa would go on to lose the game 3-0 in what would ultimately prove to be a costly defeat in the race for Champions League football, as the Magpies finished above Emery's side on goal difference to claim the fifth and final place.

A three-game suspension would follow, and even when he was available again he was left on the bench against Everton, seeing just half an hour of action across clashes with Arsenal and West Ham before his Villans career came to an abrupt end. By that time it was January, and while Villa's stance was initially that Duran wasn't for sale, concerns over the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and the acceptance that it was impossible to keep two elite strikers happy meant he was available if the price was right. Rather conveniently, Al-Nassr would come calling, and the player was willing to follow the money.

The moneyed Saudi giants paid an eye-watering €77 million (£64.5m/$80m) to sign the No.9 at the end of the winter window, and that's not even including bonuses - adding him to an attack that already contained Ronaldo and former Liverpool star Sadio Mane. His contract was said to be worth an incredible £17m ($21m) per year, which works out at around £1,900 an hour. Villa, meanwhile, were reportedly happy to see him head to the Pro League, rather than join a European rival.

While goal-scoring was initially no issue for Duran, as he bagged four times in his first two league outings in his new surroundings, off-field issues saw his time in the Gulf State swiftly go awry. The first signs of trouble were reports that he wasn't actually living in Riyadh and had instead taken up residence in neighbouring Bahrain - 270 miles away - to avoid Saudi Arabia's strict laws that would have prevented him from living with his girlfriend. It was claimed that he was taking daily 80-minute flights just to attend training.

Al-Nassr dismissed the reports as "obnoxiously funny fake news", although the theory was never truly disproven. "We all heard about what's called 'fake news', but this is an obnoxiously funny fake news!" the club said in a tweet. "We are happy that our club matters this much. Jhon loves Riyadh and his house is near the club and the stadium. He is our new family member."

However, as his performances dipped and with Al-Nassr lagging behind in the table, it became clear that Duran had indeed failed to settle in Saudi Arabia, which had supposedly resulted in personal issues off the pitch as his mental state was affected. Amid the club's overall struggles under Stefano Pioli, the striker became a scapegoat having failed to deliver on the significant investment in him, and many fans called for him to be sold.

Just five months after his arrival in Saudi Arabia, reports emerged that Duran could leave having failed to make himself at home at Al-Nassr, albeit he had found the net 12 times in just 18 appearances. Despite being offered the chance to retrace his steps to the Premier League by as many six different clubs, the centre-forward once again took the most lucrative option as he headed to Turkey to join Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on loan.

The Super Lig giants made a huge play to get their man, with their sporting director even flying out to Medellin for face-to-face talks in an attempt to convince Duran to pick them over a return to England, according to The Athletic. Meanwhile, their pitch to Al-Nassr was that he could drive his market value back up over the course of a season in Turkey, rather than being sold for an embarrassing loss that summer.

Once more, though, things did not go to plan. It was alleged that Mourinho was irked that the then-21-year-old had failed to show up for the very first day of pre-season training, with quotes attributed to him in the Spanish press labelling Duran "disrespectful". However, Fener denied the head coach had made any such statement, although seemed to admit that the player had indeed arrived late. Whether or not that was pre-agreed is still unclear. "The statements made by our manager Jose Mourinho in the foreign press regarding our player Jhon Duran are completely false," they said. "Our manager has not made a statement on the matter. Our player arrived in Portugal this evening to join our team's Algarve camp."

Mourinho was then sacked just a month into the new season after failing to secure qualification for the Champions League proper. His dismissal coincided with Duran suffering a bone inflammation issue that kept him sidelined from late August and early November, with newly-elected club president Sadettin Saran incredibly forced to deny sensational rumours that the striker was feigning injury as he didn't want to play, having been irked by the decision to axe the renowned Portuguese tactician. "Jhon Duran genuinely has an injury. I spoke with his doctor in Spain and reviewed his MRI results. He will rejoin us within a few weeks," Saran said in a press conference in October.

When he was available Duran was far less prolific amid reports he was again struggling mentally, scoring just five times in 21 appearances, while his attitude was also a problem. Regardless of those issues, he was widely expected to see out the season in Istanbul, but in early February he suddenly terminated his loan at Fenerbahce and descended even deeper into obscurity.

Still just 22 years old, Duran has joined the sixth club of his budding career and his third in the space of just 12 months - and this is his most left-field move yet. The forward has signed with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg for the remainder of 2025-26 in another decision that is seemingly financially motivated, first and foremost.

Zenit might offer the chance of silverware as they sit second in the Russian Premier League, but that is surely where the attraction ends; Duran will be out of sight and out of mind there, as clubs from the country have been banned from UEFA competition since Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine four years ago, and their top flight is barely broadcast across the rest of Europe.

The intention seems to be to make himself a hell of a lot of money and to secure his place in Colombia's World Cup squad. He has not played for his country since June 2025 and was left out of their most recent camp in November. "They explained Zenit's goals to me. I was so impressed that I wanted to continue my career here. I am trying to choose the best path for myself and my family. I believe I will be successful and happy at Zenit," Duran said by way of explanation.

"We all know that he's a top quality player, but things haven't been going as well for him as he'd probably like," Zenit manager Sergei Semak said on Duran's arrival. "We're expecting him to be motivated to go to the World Cup with Colombia and compete with John Cordoba for a spot in the starting XI. We'll be looking for him to be useful for us, and we've no doubt in his quality."

Notably, the loan deal reportedly includes an option (€35m (£30.5m/$41.5m)) rather than an obligation to buy the striker from his parent club Al-Nassr, which suggests he will consider his options after the World Cup this summer. For now, though, he is heading into the unknown and faces a real challenge to arrest a self-inflicted slide into obscurity at such a young age.