Jhon Duran has signed new long-term deal at Aston Villa to end speculation surrounding his future at the club.
Duran has had a superb start to the season for Unai Emery’s side, scoring six times in 10 appearances made primarily from the bench.
The Colombian’s goals have included three match-winners as a substitute in the Premier League, alongside a brilliant winner off the bench as Bayern Munich were beaten 1-0 in the Champions League last week.
Duran was linked with an exit from Aston Villa in the summer with Chelsea and West Ham both failing in approaches to sign the forward.
The 20-year-old expressed interest in leaving the club in search of regular first-team football but has now put pen to paper on a new long-term deal with the club. Villa have announced the deal, which will run until 2030.
Last month, the club’s director of football operations Damian Vidagany said Villa received interest from ’40 clubs’ for Duran in the summer. However, he outlined Villa’s belief that the South American can develop into one of the world’s ‘top strikers’ in Birmingham.
“If there is a club which really thinks he can be one of the top strikers in the world, if there is one club and one manager, it is Aston Villa and Unai Emery,” Vidagany explained. “There are no fewer than 40 clubs who want Duran – everyone wants Duran.
“Jhon Duran is a boy of 20 who knows what we know, he has a huge potential. He can be one of the best strikers in the world, period.”
Read – Premier League weekend: Five things we learned
See more – Premier League Team of the Week features Arsenal assist king