Aston Villa are reportedly closing in on securing an agreement to sign Atletico Madrid defender Matteo Ruggeri in a deal worth around €20m.
It was reported last month that Lucas Digne is set to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer, and so should that departure materialise, it would leave a void that must be filled in the left-back position.
While Ian Maatsen has been given the chance over pre-season to secure that starting role with a lack of competition to fend off, Unai Emery will no doubt want two top options at his disposal in every position in order to help us compete at the top level and across multiple fronts.
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According to Matteo Moretto, Ruggeri has now accepted Villa’s offer and so having made a breakthrough on personal terms, his departure from Atleti is now said to be imminent.
Further, as per The Athletic, they report that Villa are now closing in on signing the Italian defender, and although the deal has not yet been finalised, it looks as though he will seal a move worth around €20m shortly as the deal is now said to be at an advanced stage.
Ruggeri came through the ranks at Atalanta before impressing for the Serie A side at senior level, while he has been capped up to U21s level for Italy thus far.
Should he arrive, he’ll add a different type of profile at left-back to Maatsen, and so it will be fascinating to see who plays when against specific opposition, and if either can emerge as the preferred option for Emery on a more consistent basis.
Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of this potential move is that it could now happen once our pre-season schedule is all-but done, and so Ruggeri will have to play catch up in terms of settling in and adapting ahead of the new season.
Nevertheless, if Emery believes that he can be an important part of the squad to help us build on our success from last season, then it’s hoped that we’ll see him impress in a Villa shirt, provided that the deal now goes through without any late issues.
