Aston Villa officially announced on Thursday that they have completed a contract extension with French left-back Lucas Digne. The new contract extends the contract by two years, from its original expiration date of 2026, to June 30, 2028.

According to TA reporter Jacob Tanswell, Digne actually accepted a significant pay cut for this contract renewal. His previous weekly salary of £120,000 put Aston Villa under pressure in terms of financial supervision, and the club even considered bringing in younger players with lower salaries to control expenses.

Despite this, Digne still has the full support of Villa manager Unai Emery. He ranked 12th among all Premier League players in the number of big chances created last season, and his accurate and dangerous crosses are regarded as an indispensable part of Emery's tactical system.

The 32-year-old Digne, a graduate of Lille's youth system, made his professional debut for the first team on October 26, 2011, in the French League Cup. He subsequently played for Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Barcelona, and Everton, playing a total of 23 Champions League matches, 79 Ligue 1 matches, 33 Serie A matches, 29 La Liga matches, and 113 Premier League matches. He won two Ligue 1 titles, one French Cup, two French Super Cups, two French League Cups, one La Liga title, two Copa del Rey titles, and one Spanish Super Cup.

In January 2022, Digne joined Aston Villa from Everton for £25 million. So far, he has played 138 times for Aston Villa, scoring 4 goals and providing 17 assists.

As for the national team, Digne has played 52 times for France, contributing 2 assists. He has played in one World Cup (2014) and two European Championships (2016 and 2021) with the team, and won the UEFA Nations League in 2021.

After completing the contract extension with Digne, Aston Villa will prioritize keeping captain John McGinn. The current contract between the two parties is scheduled to expire in 2027, and the club plans to initiate renewal negotiations in the near future.