Aston Villa sign Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid to fill Digne's left-back void

Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of left-back Matteo Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid, with the Italy international arriving to fill the gap left by Lucas Digne’s move to Paris Saint-Germain. Ruggeri had only joined Atlético last year on a five-year contract, making his stay in the Spanish capital a single season.

Digne spent four seasons at Villa Park and was a consistent presence at left-back before his departure to PSG. Ruggeri, who made 26 La Liga appearances and 15 Champions League outings for Atlético last season, arrives with European pedigree — Atlético reached the Champions League semi-finals before losing to Arsenal.

The signing is one of several Villa have completed this summer as the club reshapes its squad ahead of a return to the Champions League. Johan Manzambi, João Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho — who arrived on an initial loan from Chelsea — have also joined, along with goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma.

Suzuki’s arrival has drawn attention given the uncertainty surrounding Emiliano Martínez. Juventus reportedly made attempts to sign the Argentine goalkeeper in recent weeks, and Martínez was absent from Villa’s UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last week.

Villa’s recruitment drive has been partly driven by necessity. The departures of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Digne have left Unai Emery’s side needing reinforcements across multiple positions as they balance Premier League and European commitments. Their Premier League season opens away at Brighton on Sunday.