Benfica are close to securing the loan signing of former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.

The Colombia international is available from Al-Nassr, who are eager to offload Duran and a portion of his £300,000-a-week wages following a largely miserable spell in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nassr paid £65million for the 22-year-old in January 2025 after a short but impactful spell at Aston Villa. Duran and Cristiano Ronaldo were supposed to form a dream double act but, instead, the former was shipped out on loan to Fenerbahce after six months.

Duran scored five goals in 21 games for the Turkish giants and two in nine in the temporary stint at Zenit St Petersburg that followed.

He will hope to reignite his career at Benfica under new coach Marco Silva.

Silva took charge of the Lisbon club following the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid.