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His decision to live outside of Saudi is motivated by confusion over whether he would be permitted to live with his girlfriend, reports The Sun.
Jhon Duran with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr (X)
With big money comes the opportunity to make big moves. In the case of Al-Nassr’s newest recruit, Jhon Duran, the move may include traveling over 500km daily to come to training since the Colombian has refused to live in Saudi Arabia.
Duran, who was signed by the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Saudi Pro League side this January for a whopping £70million from Aston Villa, has reportedly expressed concerns over residing in the state, due to his willingness to stay together with his partner.
His decision to live outside of Saudi is motivated by confusion over whether he would be permitted to live with his girlfriend, reports The Sun.
Under Islamic law, co-habitation by unmarried couples is discouraged – and private landlords often demand proof of marriage before agreeing to rent out property.
Although exceptions are made, the Colombian has reportedly decided to stay in the neighbouring state of Bahrain with his girlfriend, from where he shall commute to training every day.
A scheduled flight from Bahrain International Airport to the capital Riyadh takes one hour and 20 minutes, which will leave Duran with plenty of travel every week.
In the past Steven Gerrard, who this week left Al-Ettifaq as manager, and Jordan Henderson both chose to live outside of Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr’s training ground is on the outskirts of Riyadh and more than 300 miles away from Bahrain.
Duran made the switch from Villa Park to Saudi Arabia after a lack of playing time as the starter in the squad.
His transfer yielded the second-highest transfer fee Villa have ever received after winger Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City for a reported fee of 100 million pounds ($124.05 million) in 2021.
Duran joined Villa from Chicago Fire for £18 million in January 2023, scoring 20 goals in 78 appearances, but making just seven league starts.
A runner-up with Colombia at the 2024 Copa America, Duran has netted 12 goals in all competitions for Aston Villa this season, including seven in the Premier League.
Capped 15 times for his country, Duran will link-up with Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane at Al-Nassr, who are third in the Saudi Pro League standings with 38 points from 18 matches.
