Aston Villa have officially completed the signing of Matteo Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid as Unai Emery finally fills the vacancy left by Lucas Digne.
Villa confirmed Ruggeri’s arrival on Wednesday morning following several days of expectation surrounding the Italian left-back’s move to Birmingham.
The 24-year-old joins on a permanent transfer, with the deal previously reported at around £17million.
Aston Villa announced Ruggeri’s signing on their official website.
Matteo Ruggeri Aston Villa transfer completed
Ruggeri arrives at Villa Park only one year after leaving Atalanta for Atlético Madrid.
The defender developed through Atalanta’s academy and made more than 100 senior appearances for the Italian club.
His biggest success came in 2024 when he helped Atalanta win the Europa League, starting their 3-0 final victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
He subsequently moved to Atlético and made 47 appearances across all competitions during his season in Spain.
Villa have now brought him to the Premier League as Emery rebuilds his options at left-back.
Official confirmation means the vacancy created by Digne’s move to Paris Saint-Germain has now been filled.
Ruggeri will compete with Ian Maatsen on the left side of Villa’s defence, giving Emery two different options in a position which was suddenly lacking depth.
The wider defensive rebuild is moving quickly too.
Villa have agreed a deal to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham, while Kosta Nedeljkovic is moving towards a Rangers exit.
Ruggeri is the first of those defensive changes to be officially completed.
With Villa beginning their Premier League campaign against Brighton on Sunday, Emery now has his new left-back through the door and available to begin competing for a place.
