Benfica Signs Duran on Loan as Al-Nassr Flop Seeks Fresh Start
Benfica are closing in on a deal for Colombian international Duran, betting that a change of scenery – and a different kind of pressure – can revive one of the most expensive misfires of the Saudi Pro League era.
The 22-year-old forward is set to join on loan from Al-Nassr, with the Saudi club ready to shoulder the bulk of his sizeable salary to make the move happen, according to A Bola. For Benfica, it is a low-risk swing at a high-ceiling talent. For Duran, it already feels like a crossroads.
From €77m marquee signing to surplus
Al-Nassr paid a staggering €77 million to prise the former Aston Villa striker away in January 2025, handing him a contract worth around €20m per year through to 2030. He arrived in Riyadh as a statement signing, the kind of fee that demands instant impact and headline numbers.
They never came.
Across domestic and continental competitions, Duran managed just 18 appearances. No rhythm, no real run of games, and never the sense that he had truly convinced those in charge. This week, CEO Jose Semedo effectively drew a line under the experiment, giving the Colombian the green light to find a new club and reboot a career that has stalled badly.
The solution lies in Lisbon. The structure of the deal underlines how eager Al-Nassr are to move him on: they will co-fund the loan and absorb most of his wages, just to ensure he plays regular football at a high level again.
Loans, frustration and a World Cup blow
Duran’s slide did not start in Saudi Arabia. Before the Benfica move came into view, his career had already drifted off course during loan spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg.
Neither stint worked. At Fenerbahce, he never fully imposed himself on a side with its own internal pressures and expectations. At Zenit, disciplinary problems made a bad situation worse, ending with him frozen out of the first-team squad altogether.
That lack of continuity carried a brutal consequence. Despite having 17 caps for Colombia, the forward was left out of the 2026 World Cup squad, his absence a stark reminder of how quickly international status can evaporate when club minutes dry up.
For a player once tagged as a long-term pillar of the national team, the omission cut deep. Benfica now inherit a striker with something to prove – to his country, his employers, and himself.
Silva’s project and a new stage at Estadio da Luz
Duran is expected in Lisbon in the coming days to complete his medical and sign off on the loan before linking up with Marco Silva’s squad. There will be no easing in. The plan is for him to be dropped straight into pre-season training, learning the patterns, the pressing triggers, the movements demanded of a Benfica forward.
It is a very different environment from his recent clubs. At Estadio da Luz, forwards are judged not only on goals but on how quickly they sync with a fluid, aggressive attacking structure. The stands are unforgiving, yet they roar for players who run, press and commit.
Silva will see a raw, athletic striker with international pedigree and a point to prove. Benfica will see depth and variety for a frontline that must cope with the grind of a title race and the intensity of the Champions League league phase. Duran, for his part, will see something simpler: a way back.
A gamble worth taking?
On paper, this is a classic Benfica play. A big talent whose value has dipped, arriving on terms that heavily favour the Portuguese club, with the upside of a full revival and the downside cushioned by Al-Nassr’s wage contribution.
The question now is whether Duran can finally turn potential into production in a team that will give him both a platform and pressure in equal measure.
His next step is a medical in Lisbon. After that, the training pitch, the scrutiny and the chance he has been chasing since that €77m move first went wrong.
