Aston Villa are reportedly pushing to secure the signing of Atletico Madrid left-back Matteo Ruggeri, with a deal possibly imminent if he gives the green light.
The 24-year-old came through the youth ranks at Atalanta before impressing at senior level for the Serie A side, which in turn led to a move to Atleti last summer.
Capped all the way up to U21s for Italy, he made 109 appearances for Atalanta, while he featured 47 times for Atletico last season and contributed seven assists to go with his defensive qualities.
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According to Marca, he is expected to leave the Spanish giants this summer as they look to generate funds for further spending, and Villa are specifically said to be making a determined effort to sign him, and it’s suggested that a deal could happen very quickly if he evaluates his offers and chooses us as the best option.
It’s added in the report above that his agents were at the training ground this week to spark further speculation over his future and suggest that an exit is certainly on the cards, but although Villa are pushing hard, he also has interest from Italy too and so it remains to be seen if a return to his homeland appeals more.
Speculation last month linked Lucas Digne with a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer, and so if the Frenchman is to leave us as await official news on that transfer, that would leave a void in our defensive line that must be filled ahead of the new season as Unai Emery will want two quality options to compete in every position.
Youngster Triston Rowe is versatile and can play on that side if needed, but with question marks over his future as he may well be sent out on loan again this year, Villa will almost certainly dip into the transfer market to replace Digne.
In turn, Ruggeri has seemingly emerged as the priority target to address that issue after talks over Pervis Estupinan with AC Milan appear to have hit a stumbling block, but with no suggestion in the report that an agreement has been reached either between the two clubs or with the player himself as of yet, there is still work to do before we bring in a new left-back to compete with, and offer depth alongside, Ian Maatsen, who is striving to make that starting role his own over pre-season.