John Doran: The former Aston Villa striker is set to move to the club and is just 22 years old

Duran began his career with Envigado in his home country before moving to Chicago Fire in the United States at the age of 18.

After a year in MLS he signed for Villa in January 2023 for around £14m.

He scored Villa’s goal of the season against Crystal Palace in the 2023-24 season and quickly became a fan favorite with his direct style.

He scored twice as Villa snatched a 3–3 draw in the final home game of that season against Liverpool, helping Villa qualify for the Champions League.

However, he requested a move to West Ham that summer, angering Villa fans by making an ‘iron’ pose on his social media before the transfer fell through.

At the start of the 2024-25 season, with fans unsure of his commitment, he scored the winning goal against West Ham and indicated in his celebration that he wanted to stay at Villa.

In October 2024, he scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in Villa’s return to Europe’s elite competition with a stunning volley from outside the penalty area.

Despite his performances on the pitch, there were persistent rumors that Duran was unstable behind the scenes. Some issues have surrounded how Villa manager Unai Emery will be able to accommodate both Doran and Ollie Watkins, the club’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League era, in the same side.

His Villa team-mate, Morgan Rogers, described Duran as “the most calm and relaxed person I have ever met”.

“He’s a different animal when he’s playing,” Rogers added.

Emery was furious when Duran was sent off against Newcastle on Boxing Day in 2024, although most of his anger was directed at the VAR decision, and by the end of January he was sold to Al-Nassr.

Emery described the move as “good news for us, they pay good money.”