Former Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran joined the Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr on Friday (January 31) for a €77 million fee plus add-ons. The move will see him play with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane up front for the Knights of Najd. He was also linked with a move to Chelsea.
Jhon Duran joined Aston Villa in 2023. While he has seen his stock rise at Villa Park this season following his 12 goals in 29 appearances, his gametime at the Premier League club was curtailed as Ollie Watkins always got the nod ahead of him.
The Colombian forward underwent a medical on Thursday before putting pen to paper on a lucrative contract that will see him earn more than four times what he was earning at Aston Villa.
The 21-year-old was earning £75,000 per week at the Birmingham-based club. His move to the Middle East will result in a substantial salary increase, with his full earnings being retained, thanks to the favorable tax laws in Saudi Arabia.
According to TNT Sports, Jhon Duran is set to earn a whopping tax-free yearly salary of £16.7 million. This equates to an eye-watering salary of £320,000 per week, £46,000 per day, and £1,900 per hour.
Breaking it further, the striker will earn £31 a minute and 52 pence per second. Also, Duran has been given the No. 9 shirt at Al-Nassr, the same number he wore at Aston Villa.
As of now, Jhon Duran going to Al-Nassr isn't just the biggest sale of the current transfer window, but the biggest of the entire season, surpassing Omar Marmoush's €75m move to Manchester City in January.
Also, with the transfer fee starting at €77 million, Duran's move to Al-Nassr is the second most expensive transfer in the Saudi Pro League's history after Neymar's €90 million move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to Al-Hilal in 2023.
Jhon Duran scored 20 goals for Aston Villa in 78 appearances across competitions.
Former player slams Jhon Duran for snubbing Chelsea and making 'insane' transfer decision to Al-Nassr
Ex-Chelsea player Frank Leboeuf was critical of Jhon Duran's decision to snub Enzo Maresca's side in favor of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr. Leboeuf, who spent his late football years at Qatari side Al-Sadd and Al-Wakrah, described the move as 'insane.'
Chelsea were linked with a move for Duran but the Colombian striker turned them down.
Frank Leboeuf told ESPNFC (via Metro):
"At 20 no way, never. Why do you want to leave top level football? That’s insane. You have to have in your blood the love of football. With all due respect to the Saudi League it’s for almost retired players. I did that in Qatar, the same in the MLS, we’ve seen that before in Japan."
He added:
"It’s not for a 20-year-old. There are people who will say he can come back. We had Fofana go from Lens to Saudi Arabia and then went back to Rennes. It doesn’t work because it’s too hard, you drop your level."
Leboeuf continued:
"The Premier League is different, so much faster, much more tactical, everything. When you leave to go there when you have a chance to join another club, I thought he would be a possibility to go to Chelsea, I heard that at some point, why do you want to go there?"
"I know you want to protect your family and your kids when you have one or two and your grandkids afer. But come on! That’s not the thing to do right now. You have to think about football and the love of football and the fact you play at the top level. That’s irresponsible from his agent to have pushed him to go there," he concluded.