Benfica Nears Loan Deal for Colombian Forward Duran
Benfica are closing on a bold attacking gamble, with Colombian international Duran set to arrive at Estadio da Luz on loan from Al-Nassr, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola.
The 22-year-old is expected in Lisbon in the coming days to complete his medical and seal a move that could reshape both his career and Benfica’s forward line. The deal is structured to make a heavyweight salary affordable: Al-Nassr’s hierarchy are ready to co-fund the transfer and shoulder the vast majority of his sizeable wages.
A big-money signing in need of a restart
Duran’s name still carries the weight of a huge fee. Al-Nassr paid €77 million to prise the former Aston Villa striker away in January 2025, handing him a contract worth around €20 million per year until 2030. It was supposed to be a marquee move, a long-term pillar for the Saudi Pro League side.
It never caught fire.
Across domestic and continental competitions, Duran managed only 18 appearances, struggling to impose himself in a squad packed with star power and expectation. The club’s CEO, Jose Semedo, has now given him the green light to find a new home and revive a career that has stalled far earlier than anyone anticipated.
Loans that went nowhere
The slide did not start in Saudi Arabia alone. Before this impending switch to Portugal, Duran endured unsuccessful loan spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg. Neither stint provided the rhythm or continuity a young striker needs.
In Russia, his situation deteriorated further. Disciplinary issues saw him frozen out of the first-team squad at Zenit, a damaging spell that left him short of both minutes and momentum. The consequences were brutal at international level: despite owning 17 caps for Colombia, Duran missed out on the 2026 World Cup squad, his lack of regular club football too stark to overlook.
Now comes a different kind of pressure. Benfica are not offering a sanctuary; they are offering a stage.
Silva’s next project in attack
Marco Silva is expected to integrate Duran straight into Benfica’s pre-season work, pushing him into tactical sessions from the outset to speed up his adaptation. The club want him ready quickly, not just as depth, but as a genuine option to lead the line in a long, demanding campaign.
Benfica’s attacking unit already carries weight and expectation every season. This year, with domestic titles to chase and the Champions League league phase looming, the demands will be relentless. They need goals, mobility, and a forward who can stretch defences at the highest level.
Duran brings pace, physical presence, and the pedigree of a player once valued at elite-market prices. What he has lacked is stability and a platform that trusts him long enough to let those qualities breathe.
Lisbon may be his last stop before the narrative around him hardens for good. At 22, he is still young enough to change it. The question now is simple: does Benfica become the club where that potential finally turns into proof?
