Benfica Set to Sign Colombia Forward Duran on Loan

Benfica are poised to hand Duran a major European lifeline, with the Colombian international set to arrive at the Estadio da Luz on loan from Al-Nassr, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola.

The deal is being built on Saudi money. Al-Nassr, who committed a staggering €77 million to sign the former Aston Villa striker in January 2025 and put him on a contract worth around €20m a year until 2030, are prepared to shoulder the vast majority of his salary to make the move happen. For Benfica, it is a low‑risk swing at a high‑ceiling talent. For Duran, it is a career rescue mission.

From record outlay to stalled career

The numbers around his move to Saudi Arabia were enormous. The impact was not.

Since joining Al-Nassr, the 22-year-old has managed only 18 appearances across domestic and continental competitions, never truly establishing himself in a squad packed with attacking stars. The promise that once made him one of the most talked‑about young forwards in Europe has been stuck on pause.

Recognising the stalemate, Al-Nassr CEO Jose Semedo has given Duran the green light this week to find a new club and restart his trajectory. That search has led him to Lisbon, and to a club that has made a habit of reviving and refining attacking talent.

Loans that went nowhere

This is not Duran’s first attempt at a reset.

Before the Benfica move took shape, the striker endured unconvincing loan spells at Fenerbahce and Zenit St Petersburg. He never truly settled in Turkey, and his stint in Russia unravelled further. Disciplinary issues at Zenit saw him frozen out of the first-team squad, cutting short any chance of rhythm or continuity.

The consequences went beyond club level. Starved of regular minutes and consistency, Duran was left out of Colombia’s 2026 World Cup squad despite having already earned 17 caps for his country. For a player once projected as a long-term pillar of the national team, that omission marked a brutal reality check.

A new stage under Marco Silva

Now comes Benfica, and with it, a different kind of pressure.

Duran is scheduled to land in Lisbon in the coming days to undergo his medical before officially joining Marco Silva’s squad on loan. The plan is clear: no gentle easing in. The forward will be immediately thrown into pre-season training to accelerate his understanding of Silva’s tactical demands and the movements expected in Benfica’s fluid attacking structure.

Benfica’s recruitment team see opportunity where others see risk. A 22-year-old with top-level experience, still physically developing, still hungry, arriving on a deal co-funded by his parent club. If it clicks, the upside is enormous.

Benfica’s frontline gets extra edge

The timing is no accident. Benfica are gearing up for a gruelling campaign, juggling the domestic title race with the expanded Champions League league phase. The frontline needs depth, variety and goals.

Duran offers a different profile: a powerful, mobile striker who can run channels, press from the front and attack crosses, but who also has the technical base to link play. Benfica will hope that in a more structured, possession-dominant side, his raw edges can be sharpened rather than exposed.

Al-Nassr’s willingness to subsidise his wages underlines how badly the Saudi club need him to reboot his value elsewhere. Benfica, by contrast, can focus on the football.

If Duran embraces the chance and finds his form in Lisbon, this won’t just be another loan. It could be the moment his stalled career finally kicks back into gear.