Duran denies Boniface ₦23 billion payday, as Ronaldo's club end pursuit for Nigerian in favour of Aston Villa star

Victor Boniface's deal to Al Nassr is effectively off after the Saudi Pro League giants opted to go another route. 

The 24-year-old was agonisingly close to completing a deal to join the Faris Najd, as an agreement on a €60 million transfer fee with Bayer Leverkusen was reached and personal terms sorted. 

However, Al Nassr did not take the final step in securing the deal, as they decided to commit to another player. 

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As Pulse Sports reported, Boniface's big money move was thrown in doubt after Al Nassr began negotiations with Aston Villa for Jhon Duran. 

Earlier tonight, they reached an agreement on a transfer fee worth €77 million, and according to Fabrizio Romano, personal terms between the club and the Colombian had been negotiated. 

The Faris Najd were to decide between Boniface and Duran, and according to the aforementioned Romano's latest story, Duran got the call, which effectively ended Al Nassr's deal with the Nigerian, as they only wanted one striker. 

Meanwhile, Sadio Mane could be on his way back from Europe, as despite his comments on being focused on helping Al Nassr achieve their ambitions, the links to Galatasaray and Inter have not gone away.