By Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

22nd Apr, 2020 | 10:37am

Exclusive: Aston Villa agree contract extension with senior attacker

Aston Villa have extended the contract of striker Keinan Davis, Football Insider can reveal.

The Midlands giants have triggered an option in his existing deal to keep at the club for a further 12 months.

A Villa source has told Football Insider that Dean Smith is a big admirer of Davis and gave the green light to extend his spell at the club.

This comes ahead of Davis’ current contract expiring at the end of June, which left the Premier League club vulnerable to losing him when the summer window opens.

Villa would have still received a compensation fee for their home-grown star but he could have left immediately.

The Midlands giants have still to secure the centre-forward to a long-term contract, although it remains to be seen if they will now look to do so.

Smith rates Davis highly enough to block him going out on loan this season.

As revealed by Football Insider, Smith pulled the plug on the forward’s departure after six Championship clubs – QPR, Huddersfield, Fulham Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City and Preston North End – tabled loan offers for him last summer.

The former England Under-20 international was expected to make a big impact this season but his campaign was disrupted by a hamstring injury that sidelined him for three months.

Davis has made 13 senior appearances this season, but none of those were Premier League starts and 10 of them were as a substitute.

Since graduating from the Villa youth set-up, the attacker has made 57 appearances for the club and scored four goals and supplied five assists.

In other Aston Villa news, it can be REVEALED that the club stand to lose £37m in devastating blow.