Jhon Durán is headed to the Saudi Pro League.
The 21-year-old Colombian professional footballer has completed his transfer from Aston Villa to Al Nassr as the Saudi Pro League side bolstered their forward line for the second half of the season.
Durán’s form at Aston Villa had seen him garner considerable attention from clubs in Europe and beyond, and the signing is seen as a coup for Stefano Pioli‘s team, who already boast Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané among their ranks.
Durán has scored 12 goals in 29 games this season for Aston Villa, including memorable long-range strikes against Everton in the Premier League and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Durán joined the midlands club from Chicago Fire for £18m ($22.3m) in January 2023 but has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Villa Park as Ollie Watkins‘ presence in the forward line kept him out of the team on a regular basis.
Wakins has also been linked with a move away from Aston Villa in January but the Colombia international’s exit means that Watkins is likely to stay with Unai Emery’s team, with sources telling ESPN on Wednesday that the club had rejected a bid from Arsenal for his services.
Durán was an unused substitute in Aston Villa’s Champions League win over Celtic on Wednesday, which secured their eighth-place finish and a spot in the round of 16.
“Everyone at Aston Villa would like to wish Jhon all the best in the next step of his professional career,” Villa said in a statement.
Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN that Aston Villa are interested in signing Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford before the transfer deadline.
Al Nassr have struggled to compete at the highest level in the Saudi Pro League this season, sitting fourth in the table and eight points off top despite the exploits of Ronaldo, who has scored a division-high 14 goals in 17 games.