Jhon Duran’s Al-Nassr salary proves Saudi Pro League is the real deal

Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran is set to join the leagues of young players to ditch European Football for the Saudi Pro League.

Years after bringing in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar,. Karim Benzema and Ngolo Kante, the Saudi Pro League clubs have continue to tempt young players in Europe with mouthwatering salaries.

Aston Villa’s president of football operations Monchi confirmed that the offer proposed to the club for Jhon Duran was simply too significant to reject, as they prepare to allow the Colombian striker to join Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Just 21-year-old, Duran only signed a long-term contract with Villa in October, but months later he is all set to depart Villa Park after two years.

Though the move might have a negative impact on his career, Duran’s bank account will see a huge rise compared to playing in Europe.

Jhon Duran celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Manchester City FC (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Jhon Duran’s Al-Nassr salary

Players moving from Europe to Saudi Arabia are expected to earn big and Duran is not exempted. The Colombian international is expected to earn five times more than he currently earns at Aston Villa.

Aston Villa will also fetch huge sum of money from the sale of Duran. The proposed fee would make Durán the second biggest sale in Villa’s history, overtaking Moussa Diaby’s €60m move to Al-Ittihad last year but some way behind Jack Grealish’s €117.5m move to Man City in 2021.

Durán joined Villa in January 2023 when he signed from Chicago Fire for a fee of €20.2m and has gone on to become one of the most sorts after player in his position.

With just 28 senior appearances, eight goals and six assists for the MLS club, Duran needed little time to adapt to the physical and technical demands of the Premier League.

In his first full season with the club he picked up eight goals across 37 appearances. Most of the goals came from the bench.

The Colombian striker then started this season in even better form, bagging 12 goals in 29 appearances for Emery’s side. This led to reported interest from top teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Arsenal and even West Ham, however, he will be moving to Al Nassr.