Jhon Durán

Jhon Jader Durán Palacio (born 13 December 2003) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Colombia national team.

Durán made his professional debut for Envigado on 13 February 2019 against Jaguares de Córdoba in the Copa Colombia, having played for the club at youth level since he was 11 years old.

Durán scored his debut goal on 1 September, in his 3rd appearance for the club, against Águilas Doradas Rionegro.

This made Durán the second-youngest goalscorer in Categoría Primera A, at the age of 15 years and 8 months.

Durán represented the Colombia national under-17 team at the 2019 South American U-17 Championship.

Durán made his senior international debut for Colombia against Guatemala on 24 September 2022, replacing Radamel Falcao as a half-time substitute.

On 28 March 2023, he scored his first international goal against Japan, on his first full appearance for the Colombian team.

In October 2020, Durán was included in The Guardian's "60 of the best young talents in world football" list.

On 11 January 2021, Chicago Fire announced an agreement to acquire Durán from Envigado on an initial 3-year deal, with options in place for a further 2 years.

The contract would begin on 1 January 2022.

The transfer fee was reported to be £1.5m.

The signing was sanctioned by Chicago Fire's technical director Sebastian Pelzer, who spotted 17-year old Durán while watching another player at his former club.

Durán made his Chicago Fire debut on 26 February 2022 against Inter Miami CF.

He scored his first goal for the club on 14 May 2022 against FC Cincinnati.

On 16 January 2023, Premier League club Aston Villa announced an agreement to sign Durán: subject to a medical, personal teams and a work visa.

Durán left the Colombian camp for the 2023 South American U-20 Championship to fly to England to complete the transfer, which was made official on 23 January.

The transfer fee was reported to be an initial £14.75m, with the potential of a further £3m in add-ons.

On 4 February 2023, Durán made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in a 4–2 defeat to Leicester City.

On 20 August 2023, Durán scored his first Aston Villa goal as a substitute in a 4–0 win against Everton.

On 31 August, Durán scored his first goal in a European competition in a 3–0 UEFA Europa Conference League victory over Scottish club Hibernian.