Aston Villa and Unai Emery have to wait until the summer now to bring in some new faces
Sign up to our BirminghamWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to BirminghamWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran is ‘unlikely’ to return to the Premier League anytime soon, according to Football Insider. The report adds that Tottenham Hotspur snubbed the chance to sign him in January. The player is currently on loan at Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Duran, 22, was sold by Unai Emery’s side to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia back in January 2025. He subsequently scored 12 goals in 18 games during his time in the Middle East. The forward then spent time away at Fenerbahce in Turkey before his recent switch to Russia.
Premier League return ruled out for ex-Aston Villa man Jhon Duran
There will be no Aston Villa reunion for Duran for the time being. Journalist Pete O’Rourke has said, as per Football Insider: “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.”
He added: “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.”
Aston Villa signed Duran from Chicago Fire back in 2022 after he caught their eye in MLS. He went on to fire 20 goas in 78 matches under Emery before he left for Al-Nassr. It was a shame for him to head to the Saudi Pro League at such a young age.
He provided strong back-up to Ollie Watkins up top during his days at Villa Park. His ex-employers delved into the market last month to sign Tammy Abraham from Besiktas to play his role. The 28-year-old was snapped up to add more competition and depth to their attacking department and he has since made four appearances in all competitions, chipping in with one goal. He has also had spells in the past with the likes of Chelsea, Roma and AC Milan, among others.