John Duran to undergo medical examination to prepare for high-priced move to Riyadh Victory

Colombian striker John Duran is about to move to the Saudi professional league. He will undergo a medical examination in London to make final preparations for joining Riyadh Victory for a high price.

Duran had a hot start to the 2024-25 season, but then his form declined and he could not shake the position of main striker Ollie Watkins in the Villa team. However, this did not affect Riyadh's interest. According to The Athletic, the Saudi giants are willing to pay a transfer fee of up to 77 million euros + additional terms for the 21-year-old Colombian international. Duran plans to undergo a medical examination in London on Thursday and the transfer is about to be finalized.

Given that Duran has proven his goal-scoring ability in the Premier League, many fans regret that he left the top European leagues. But the Villa striker seems determined to accept a high-paying contract of five and a half years, when he will play alongside international superstars such as Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Laporte.

Despite coming off the bench most of the time, Duran still scored 7 goals in 20 Premier League appearances this season (16 of which were from the bench), which is an impressive statistic. Since joining Villa, he has scored 12 goals in 55 Premier League games and contributed 3 goals in 7 Champions League games to help the team successfully advance to the knockout stage.

Duran's departure is bad news for Arsenal. The Gunners have been hoping to sign Villa's top striker Watkins in the winter window, but Villa coach Emery is reluctant to let him go, and Duran's departure makes Watkins' transfer almost impossible. This means Arsenal may need to look for other striker targets.