Benfica Nears Loan Deal for Colombian Forward Duran

Benfica are on the brink of handing their attack a major reshuffle, closing in on a loan move for Colombian international Duran from Al-Nassr in a deal that carries both risk and obvious upside.

The 22-year-old is expected at the Estadio da Luz in the coming days to complete his medical before joining Marco Silva’s squad on a season-long loan. Al-Nassr, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, have agreed to shoulder the vast majority of his sizeable wages to make the move happen, effectively subsidising a fresh start for a striker whose career has stalled alarmingly quickly.

This is a remarkable turn for a player Al-Nassr once treated as a centrepiece signing. They paid €77 million to prise the former Aston Villa forward away in January 2025, handing him a contract worth around €20m per year through to 2030. He arrived in Saudi Arabia as a statement of intent. He leaves, at least temporarily, as a reclamation project.

The numbers tell the story. Just 18 appearances across domestic and continental competitions in Saudi Arabia, with no sustained run as a guaranteed starter. For a player who thrives on rhythm and confidence, the stop-start nature of his spell in Riyadh drained both.

Al-Nassr CEO Jose Semedo has now given Duran the green light to find a new club, effectively admitting that the original plan has failed. The decision is blunt: go and resurrect your career elsewhere.

Benfica are betting that Lisbon can be that place.

A talent in need of a reset

Duran’s raw profile still excites. He already has 17 caps for Colombia, a reminder that at international level he has long been viewed as part of the country’s next attacking generation. Power, mobility, an instinct for attacking space – the tools are there.

The trajectory, though, has been anything but smooth.

Before the impending Benfica move, Duran’s loans to Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg misfired. He never established himself as a consistent starter in Turkey, then saw his time in Russia unravel further. Disciplinary issues in St Petersburg led to him being frozen out of the first-team squad, turning what was meant to be a platform into a dead end.

The consequences were harsh. With no regular club football and question marks over his discipline, Duran missed out on Colombia’s 2026 World Cup squad. For a player of his age and reputation, that omission stung. It also underlined how far his stock had fallen in a short space of time.

Now comes Benfica, a club with a long history of taking talented but wayward careers and straightening their path.

Silva’s project and a new attacking edge

Marco Silva will waste no time. Once the medical is completed, Duran is set to be thrown straight into pre-season training, the coaching staff keen to accelerate his understanding of Benfica’s tactical demands and attacking patterns.

That urgency reflects the scale of the season ahead. Benfica face a gruelling domestic schedule and the expanded Champions League league phase, a campaign that will test the depth and variety of Silva’s frontline. They need goals, but they also need fresh legs and different profiles to avoid becoming predictable.

Duran offers precisely that: a direct, physical presence who can run in behind, occupy centre-backs and open space for more technical teammates. If Silva can channel his aggression and sharpen his decision-making, Benfica gain a forward capable of unsettling defences at the highest level.

The financial structure of the deal helps. With Al-Nassr covering most of the wage burden, Benfica minimise their risk while gaining access to a player whose transfer fee only 18 months ago sat at €77m. For a club that lives on smart trading and value extraction, it is the kind of asymmetrical deal they relish.

Career crossroads in Lisbon

For Duran, though, this is more than a clever piece of business. It feels like a crossroads.

Another unsuccessful stint, another dressing room left unconvinced, and the narrative around him hardens: expensive, difficult, unreliable. A productive year at Benfica, in contrast, could flip that script entirely, restoring his place in the Colombia setup and reopening doors at the top level of European football.

Lisbon will not wait forever. Nor will Benfica’s ambitions. The club expects impact, not excuses.

The stage is set: a giant of Portuguese football, a demanding coach, a Champions League platform, and a 22-year-old forward with everything to prove and very little margin left for missteps.