Atletico Madrid signed him for €17 million last summer.
He gave them 47 appearances, seven assists and a solid debut season in La Liga.
And then Alejandro Grimaldo arrived from Bayer Leverkusen.
And Matteo Ruggeri went from established starter to surplus to requirements almost overnight.
Aston Villa have been watching.
And now they’ve reached an agreement.
Aston Villa agree €24m deal for Atletico Madrid’s Matteo Ruggeri as Italian left-back excluded from pre-season trip to South Korea
According to Marca, Atletico Madrid have reached a club-to-club agreement with Aston Villa for Ruggeri, with the deal structured around an initial fixed fee of €18 million plus €6 million in performance-related add-ons.
The 24-year-old will not travel with Simeone’s squad for their pre-season tour of South Korea.
His time in Madrid is over.
The trigger behind Villa’s move is straightforward.
Lucas Digne is closing in on a move to PSG, leaving the left-back position vacant just weeks before the new season begins.
Unai Emery initially explored AC Milan’s Pervis Estupinan as a solution.
Those talks cooled.
And Ruggeri emerged as the answer, a player Emery identified as fitting both the profile and the price Aston Villa needed.
At 6ft 1in, physically imposing and with European pedigree from his time winning the Europa League at Atalanta, Ruggeri brings exactly the defensive solidity and aerial presence that complements Ian Maatsen’s more attacking instincts.
Liverpool had tracked him since his Atalanta days.
Newcastle United were also monitoring.
Both are now fading from the race with a club-to-club agreement already in place.
The only remaining hurdle is personal terms, with Ruggeri also weighing up potential interest from Juventus and Roma before making his decision.
But Villa are not waiting.
The deal is agreed.
The player needs to choose.
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