Aston Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany has claimed there are at least 40 teams keen to sign striker Jhon Duran.

20-year-old Duran was targeted by Chelsea during both the January and summer transfer windows and even publicly flirted with West Ham United as he sought a move away from Villa which ultimately failed to materialise.

Despite attracting controversy this summer, Duran remains a key part of the Villa squad and has already netted two goals this season, including against the Hammers on the opening day of the season.

“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 said. “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.”

Sporting director Monchi went on to admit that Duran wanted to leave this summer in search of regular minutes, but praised the 20-year-old for keeping his focus.

“The most important thing for Dami and me is to be aligned with Unai because he is the boss,” Monchi said. “I worked with him for four years at Sevilla and Dami at Valencia. We need to understand Unai. He is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident.

“He thinks in the next years he can become one of the best strikers in the world. He is 100% convinced. But what is the problem? We have also Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins.

“That is normal because every player thinks he is better than their teammates. To manage Ollie Watkins and Duran is not easy but at the end it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.

“Did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That is normal because he wants to play. But now we spoke with him yesterday [deadline day] and he is happy. He is training good.”

READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS & GOSSIP FROM AROUND THE WORLD