Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran was keen to leave the club in the summer and had attracted interest from "no fewer than 40 clubs", according to two recruitment chiefs at Villa Park.
Since joining the Midlands outfit from Chicago Fire for around £15m in January 2023, Duran has had to play second fiddle to first-choice talisman Ollie Watkins.
The 20-year-old has been somewhat frustrated with his lack of regular game time, but he has nevertheless made his presence felt when called upon by manager Unai Emery and has made several important contributions as a substitute.
Duran scored four of his five Premier League goals last season as a substitute and has since netted twice across three substitute outings at the start of this season, scoring the match-winner in a 2-1 victory at West Ham United and heading home a second in a 2-1 win at Leicester City before the international break.
Over the summer, Duran was strongly linked with a move to both Chelsea and West Ham, but an exit from Villa ultimately failed to materialise for the highly-rated Colombia international.
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Vidagany: 'Everyone wanted to sign Duran'
Villa's director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, has since revealed that Duran was keen to leave the club in search of first-team football and was wanted by at least 40 clubs in the summer.
However, Villa managed to hold onto the striker and there is a belief from Emery that the youngster can become "one of the best in the world".
"In every team there are two very, very important positions. Every position is important, of course, but the keeper and the striker are two very specific positions," Vidagany told reporters via The Mirror.
"If you have a great keeper, the second keeper can be as good as he can be - but it's difficult to change. If you have Ollie Watkins, it's very difficult to find someone better because he is a great striker, maybe in the top two or three in the Premier League.
"Ollie is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That's normal because he wants to play. There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran - because everyone wanted him.
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Emery "100% convinced" Duran can become one of world's best strikers
"Jhon Duran is a 20-year-old boy and he knows what we know - that he has huge potential. He can be one of the best strikers in the world...period. Unai is giving him more minutes. And we have spoken to him. He's training well - and he's happy.
"If there is one club that really thinks Duran can become one of the best in the world, then that club is Aston Villa and that manager is Unai Emery."
Villa's president of football operations, Monchi, added: "Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months. He is 100% convinced.
"So, what is the problem? We also have Ollie 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 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."
Duran, who still has four years left on his contract, will be hoping to force his way into Aston Villa starting lineup for the first time this season when they welcome Premier League basement club Everton to Villa Park on Saturday.
Oliver Thomas
