Jhon Duran has reportedly terminated his loan with Fenerbahce and will now head to Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg until the end of the season.
It is a puzzling fall from grace for a 22-year-old who was banging in the goals for Aston Villa in the Champions League as recently as last season.
In January last year, Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Saudi Arabian employers Al-Nassr completed a £64.5million move to sign the Colombian, handing him a contract worth around £355,000 per week until 2030.
Chelsea and West Ham had wanted Duran – Villa rejected a £57m bid from the Hammers shortly before he moved to Saudi Arabia – and there was no doubt that he was one of the Premier League‘s most exciting rising stars.
He settled well in the Middle East, scoring 12 goals in 18 games, but was reportedly tempted to Turkey by the promise of an even more lucrative salary.
But Duran has found it hard to adapt in Turkey and axed his loan on Thursday morning, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.
Jhon Duran has reportedly terminated his loan at Fenerbahce to join Zenit Saint Petersburg
The striker joined Al-Nassr for £65million last year from Aston Villa but left on loan for Turkey after a few months
In January last year, Duran was one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League
French side Lille were reportedly negotiating to bring him in but that move collapsed as they were unable to meet his gargantuan salary demands.
Duran has only scored five goals in 21 games for Fenerbahce and has had to settle for coming off the bench in recent matches.
Moving to Zenit a decade ago would have been a promising move. They were regular participants in the Champions League and reached the last 16 in 2015-16, the third time they had made the knockout rounds in the 2010s.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the nation’s clubs have been banned from participating in European competition. The national team is also barred from taking part in UEFA and FIFA competitions.
It is therefore hard to judge the standard of the Russian Premier League at the moment.
He will, at least, be playing in front of big crowds. Zenit’s average home attendance is almost 37,000 – comfortably mid-table by English Premier League figures.
Duran has led an itinerant career, moving from Envigado in his homeland to Chicago Fire, then Villa, Al-Nassr, and latterly Fenerbahce and Zenit on loan – all by the age of 22.
He is a senior international for Colombia, having amassed 17 caps and scored three goals.
Many were confused by his decision to leave the Premier League at such a young age, but Duran comes from a poor background in South America and the opportunity to amass unspeakable wealth in such a short space of time is sometimes appealing so that players can give their families and friends financial security.
‘He comes from a poor municipality, yes, but it was rich in gold, Juan Carlos Grisales, an academy coach at Envigado who met Duran aged 11, told The Athletic in 2024. ‘He was a normal boy with lots of desire to work.’
‘It was more than a poor area,’ Wilberth Perea, another coach from Envigado, said.
‘Jhon had to develop. It’s full of working people, fighting to get ahead day to day. The desire to be better was impressed on him. Nothing he was given was free. He had to work.’
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The incredible decline of £65m Jhon Duran: Ex-Aston Villa striker ‘TERMINATES his loan move’ and flies to footballing backwater for next transfer a year after he was wanted by Chelsea and West Ham