Jhon Duran: Ex-Aston Villa striker set for sixth club aged just 22

Duran began his career with Envigado in his homeland before moving to Chicago Fire in the United States aged 18.

After a year in Major League Soccer he was signed by Villa in January 2023 for about £14m.

He scored Villa’s goal of the season against Crystal Palace in the 2023-24 season and quickly became a fan favourite with his direct style.

He scored twice as Villa snatched a 3-3 draw in the last home game of that season against Liverpool, helping Villa to qualify for the Champions League.

However, he courted a move to West Ham that summer, angering Villa fans by doing an ‘irons’ pose on his social media before that transfer fell through.

At the start of the 2024-25 season, with fans unsure over his commitment, he scored the winning goal against West Ham and indicated in his celebration he wanted to stay at Villa.

In October 2024, he scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich on Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition with a stunning strike from outside the penalty area.

Despite his performances on the pitch, there were persistent rumours that Duran was unsettled behind the scenes. Some issues surrounded how Villa boss Unai Emery could accommodate both Duran and Ollie Watkins, the club’s record goalscorer in the Premier League era, in the same side.

His team-mate at Villa, Morgan Rogers, described Duran as “the most chilled, relaxed person I’ve ever met”.

“He’s a different animal when he’s playing,” Rogers added.

Emery was furious when Duran was sent off against Newcastle on Boxing Day in 2024, although most of his rage was aimed at the VAR decision, and by the end of January he was sold to Al-Nassr.

Emery described the move as “good news for us – they are paying good money”.