Benfica Close In on Duran as Al-Nassr Accepts Reality
Benfica are closing in on a high‑stakes reclamation project. Colombian international Duran is set to swap the Saudi Pro League for the Estadio da Luz on loan from Al-Nassr, in a deal that underlines both Benfica’s ambition and Al-Nassr’s willingness to cut their losses.
The agreement, reported in Portugal by A Bola, leans heavily in Benfica’s favour. Al-Nassr are prepared to shoulder the vast majority of the 22-year-old’s hefty salary to make the move happen, a clear sign of how far his stock has fallen since his blockbuster arrival in Riyadh.
From €77m headline act to surplus asset
Al-Nassr paid €77 million to prise the former Aston Villa striker away in January 2025, handing him a contract worth around €20m per year until 2030. It was a statement signing, the kind that was supposed to reshape a club’s attack and send a message across the region.
It never caught fire.
Duran managed just 18 appearances in all domestic and continental competitions, a thin return for such an outlay. Performances failed to match the price tag, minutes became scarce, and the club’s hierarchy, led by CEO Jose Semedo, finally granted him permission this week to find a new home and restart a career that has stalled alarmingly.
Benfica have moved quickly.
A career that keeps stalling
This is not the first time Duran has gone in search of a reset. Before the Portuguese move came into view, the Colombian endured difficult loan spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg. Neither stint delivered the platform he needed.
At Zenit, problems went beyond form. Disciplinary issues saw him frozen out of the first-team squad, an exile that only deepened concerns about his trajectory. The lack of regular club football carried a heavy price: when Colombia named their squad for the 2026 World Cup, Duran’s name was missing.
Seventeen caps for his country suggest genuine pedigree. The recent past tells a harsher story.
Benfica’s bet: talent, risk and upside
In Lisbon, the equation is different. Benfica are not paying the transfer fee, not carrying the full salary, and yet they gain a 22-year-old international forward with something to prove and the tools to change games if he rediscovers his edge.
Duran is expected to arrive in the Portuguese capital in the coming days to complete his medical before officially joining Marco Silva’s squad. There will be no gentle easing in. The plan is to plug him straight into pre-season training, to get him up to speed tactically and physically as quickly as possible.
For Silva, it is another attacking piece for a season that will stretch Benfica on multiple fronts. The club is bracing for a demanding domestic campaign and the new Champions League league phase, where depth in the forward line can be the difference between surviving and imposing.
Benfica’s frontline already carries weight and expectation. Adding Duran raises the ceiling – and the intrigue. If the Colombian can finally align his talent with consistency and discipline in Lisbon, this low-risk loan could turn into one of the most astute moves of the summer. If he cannot, Al-Nassr’s €77m gamble will stand as an even starker warning about the cost of chasing instant impact.
