West Ham, PSG January Target Backed for Leaving Aston Villa for £16.7M-per-Year Deal at Al-Nassr | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain were reportedly interested in Aston Villa forward Jhon Durán as they looked to secure a promising long-term addition to their attack. However, the Colombian opted to join Al-Nassr and continue his career in Saudi Arabia.

In recent weeks, journalist Ben Jacobs highlighted PSG’s interest in the Colombian striker but noted a key obstacle: Aston Villa’s £80 million valuation. Nonetheless, that wasn’t an issue for Al-Nassr.

Before his move to Saudi Arabia, Jacobs reported that Aston Villa rejected a £57 million bid from West Ham— their second offer this window—as they continued to hold out for a fee closer to £85 million (€100 million).

One manager defends Jhon Durán’s decision to join Al-Nassr

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This week, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed that Aston Villa will receive a €77 million fixed fee, along with add-ons, for Durán.

At 21 years old, some might question whether the money is worth it for Durán to leave the Premier League and Aston Villa, who are currently in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League. He also had interest from other top European clubs and could’ve waited until the summer but chose the move to Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, Colombian manager José Alberto Suárez is defending the young striker’s decision to leave European football for a major payday.

“Criticizing Jhon Jader Durán is misguided,” Suárez told Win Sports’ Mariano Olsen. “No one turns down €100 million. It’s unlikely that during his early training days at Envigado, they spoke to him about glory—they spoke to him about money. For young players, glory is about solving their financial problems.

“By the time he’s 26, Durán will have the financial freedom to pursue glory on his own terms. For now, he’s being rewarded for the hard work he’s put in since he was a child. In Arabia, he’ll continue to develop alongside stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané, who will help take his game to the next level.”

According to a report from TNT Sports, the striker is set to earn an annual salary of £16.7 million ($21 million) at Al-Nassr. That breaks down to about £46,000 a day, £1,900 an hour, and £31 per minute—an extraordinary increase from his previous £75,000-a-week deal at Villa Park.