Aston Villa have completed the signing of Atlético de Madrid left-back Matteo Ruggeri, the clubs confirmed on Wednesday.
Two weeks after Villa and Atlético reached an agreement for Ruggeri — and four weeks after Ruggeri’s agent declared that the player would be “going
nowhere” — the Italian defender has signed a five-year contract with the reigning Europa League champions.
Atlético will receive around €24.5 million for Ruggeri, who just last year arrived from Atalanta in a deal worth just under €20 million
Ruggeri had an uneven season in Madrid. After a difficult start, he found form in January and ended the season with seven assists across 47 appearances in all competitions. But according to The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, Ruggeri fits the “physical profile of left-back” that Villa manager Unai Emery wants; Emery had been seeking a replacement for veteran Lucas Digne, who joined Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
With Alejandro Grimaldo already signed by the start of July, Atlético viewed Ruggeri’s sale as necessary to clear salary space and make further additions to the team; last weekend, the club signed Cristian Romero from Tottenham Hotspur. After tipping off local media that Ruggeri would not be replaced directly, the club has changed course and will sign a younger left-back to compete with Grimaldo.
According to Mundo Deportivo on Wednesday, Atlético are negotiating with Racing Santander for their left-back Jorge Salinas, while Wolves’ Hugo Bueno is Mateu Alemany’s backup plan. Atlético Madrileño left-back Arnau Solà, who debuted in LaLiga for Villarreal in 2025, signed for the reserve team last month and could emerge as another option behind this player and Dávid Hancko, who is primarily a center-back but can play as a full-back.
