- 22 hours ago
REVEALED: Why Aston Villa sold Jhon Duran and why it will ‘REALLY HELP’ them
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 8 Feb 2025 05:28 CST
- 3 min read
Jhon Duran’s move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr was one of the big surprises of the transfer window, but it turns out the Premier League club had little option but to sell the Colombia international.
Duran completed an astonishing €77 million switch to Cristiano Ronaldo’s side, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.
It was not a move that Villa fans approved of, with many left baffled as to why the 21-year-old star was allowed to leave for a lesser league, despite Unai Emery’s side also boasting another of the Premier League’s premier centre-forwards in the form of Ollie Watkins.
STATS
Jhon Durán
F (C)
Al-Nassr
Jhon Durán
F (C)
Al-Nassr
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Selling Duran a 'no brainer'
Ultimately, the deal was completed purely down to financial considerations, particularly with regards the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The size of the fee means that Emery’s side effectively have no concerns on this front.
“It’ll really help Villa with PSR, it’s a big deal,” former Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness explained to Football Insider.
“The profit made on him was just too good to turn down.
“There were question marks about his temperament with Emery, too. It seems pretty clear, this was a no-brainer.
“Making this profit on a player like that will give them some real leeway going forward.
“Villa needed the headroom, they’ve got it. They’ve taken a £5m risk on Rashford, which isn’t that big if he can come good.”
READ MORE: Saudi Pro League January transfers 2025: All the Done Deals
Duran makes a quick start in Saudi
Duran has already played his first couple of matches in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr and was on target twice during Friday’s 3-0 victory over struggling Al-Feiha.
He is expected to carry Ronaldo to glory in the Gulf, with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star having toiled to win any major silverware since his high-profile move to the Pro League.
Already he has hit the headlines, with Al-Nassr forced to deny claims that the striker is making a 600-mile daily commute to allow him to stay with his partner.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, are chasing Champions League football once again but having sold Duran, this becomes an increasingly testing proposition, with the move to replace the South American with the out-of-form Rashford very much a gamble.
