RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Former Argentina international midfielder Pablo Guinazu ended speculation about his future by extending his contract with Vasco da Gama, the Brazilian outfit said on Saturday.

The 36-year-old, who had been linked with a move to Paraguay's Cerro Porteno, will remain with the Rio de Janeiro outfit until at least 2017.

"We resigned him because he is an important player and I wasn't going to let him go easily," Vasco president Eurico Miranda told Radio Tupi.

Guinazu, who joined Vasco from Paraguay's Libertad in 2013, helped steer the club back into Brazil's top flight last year after their relegation to the Serie B the previous season.

He has been capped 16 times for Argentina since his internatinoal debut in 2003.