Aston Villa news: Jhon Duran’s chances of completing return revealed after ‘crazy’ twist
Jhon Duran is unlikely to return to Premier League football any time soon despite impressing a number of suitors during his time at Aston Villa.
Since leaving Villa last January, the 22-year-old is already at his third club, having agreed a deal to join Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg on loan earlier this month.
Duran joined Al-Nassr in January 2025 for a fee of £64million, but spent the last six months on loan at Fenerbahce before leaving to join Zenit.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Premier League clubs opted against making a move before the Russian outfit swooped.
Despite links with the likes of Tottenham, a return to English football is not expected to be on the cards, both due to his lofty pay packet and behind the scenes concerns.
Jhon Duran set to miss out on Premier League return
After making the move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, Duran scored 12 goals in 18 appearances for Al-Nassr, but was quickly moved on.
He then scored just five goals in 21 appearances for Fenerbahce, who also agreed to cut his loan short, as the striker attempted to find a move elsewhere.
Despite links with a return to the Premier League, it was never on the cards last month, and remains unlikely to happen in the near future.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “Yeah, as you said, was only last January that he went to Al Nassr from Aston Villa as well.
“He’s been in America. He’s come to Aston Villa. Then he’s gone to Saudi Pro League with Al Nassr. He’s gone to Fenerbahce for a short spell. Now he’s ended up in Russia with Zenit St. Petersburg.
“So it’s crazy that he’s had so many clubs in such a short space of time as well.
“He showed at Aston Villa what he can do in the Premier League when he’s fit and firing, he’s definitely a top striker, and he scored goals in the Saudi Pro League as well.
“He’s gone to Zenit so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with him there in Russia, but they do have an option to make that deal permanent.
“I think it’s a difficult deal for any club to really sign Duran on a permanent basis because he’s on such a lucrative deal out in the Saudi Pro League.
“He seems to just be a bit of a globetrotter right now John Duran with his moves as well, so I don’t think there’s any immediate move maybe back to the Premier League.”
Tottenham snubbed Duran in January after agent talks
After Duran’s availability was made clear by Fenerbahce and Al-Nassr, he was linked with moves to a number of Premier League clubs.
His availability saw a number of Premier League clubs including Tottenham linked with moves for the hot-headed striker, but sources say none showed any advanced interest.
Football Insider revealed on 13 February that Duran was offered to Tottenham and other clubs, rather than them perusing the move themselves.
Villa let Duran leave last year due to concerns about his attitude, despite his clear talent and impressive on-pitch performances, and others are believed to share their doubts.
This came after Football Insider revealed Duran was causing issues for Emery behind the scenes with complaints about his playing time and role in the squad.
For live updates on Aston Villa’s transfer plans, head over to Aston Villa News.