Former West Ham United transfer target Jhon Duran has started life as a Zenit St Petersburg player.
Duran’s debut for the Russian club has made headlines after he clashed with a defender during their 1-0 win over Krasnodar as part of a warm-weather training camp out in Dubai.
A lot of the footballing world will be watching how the Colombian international gets on at Zenit, and a scuffle with a defender on his debut – in a friendly no less – is quite the way to start.
The 22-year-old is clearly a hugely talented player but has struggled to settle, having already plied his trade in England, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and now Russia.
Things are looking up 😍 So who are we sending down to the Championship?!
Forest? Leeds?……Spurs? 🙏
West Ham were linked with Duran in January and have previously been tipped to make a fresh move for him this summer – although that surely depends on whether they stay in the Premier League.
Addressing Duran’s debut, Zenit boss Sergei Semak said (via Zenit’s official website): “As I’ve already said, his qualities are clear. He’s a player who’s good on the ball, he’s quick, but he needs to get into shape and get used to the team, and his teammates need to get used to him.
“He needs to find his match rhythm and get used to our training, he’ll definitely improve. We gave him some time today and he felt fine overall, so they gave him more time than we had planned. We wanted initially to play him for 45 minutes, but it ended up being 60. I think it’s better to get to peak fitness through games and we’re hoping he’ll improve.”
Jhon Duran could have been West Ham’s club record signing
It’s only just over a year ago that West Ham made a £57million bid to sign Duran from Aston Villa.
That offer was rejected in January 2025, but Villa eventually let the forward join Al-Nassr anyway.
It’s little short of remarkable that Duran is now on his third club since that bid went in.
He is, however, only on loan at Zenit and there is no guarantee he will stay there once that deal comes to an end.
Haji hat-trick puts Lampard’s Coventry top! 🇺🇸 🎩
How much would YOU pay to bring him to West Ham?
When West Ham United could make a fresh move for Jhon Duran
Back in January, talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs suggested that West Ham could move for Duran in the summer of 2026, if and when Callum Wilson leaves the club.
It’s almost impossible to imagine such a deal being on the cards if the Hammers are relegated of course, but perhaps it’s something West Ham can revisit in the summer.
Duran needs to settle somewhere. He’s already exhausted several options across the footballing globe.
The world awaits to see what happens with him in Russia.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
