What we know about Matteo Ruggeri as Aston Villa switch now imminent

Aston Villa look set to sign Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid.

The search for a new left-back appears to be over as Lucas Digne prepares to depart.

The France international is yet to be confirmed as a Paris Saint-Germain player, but a deal is extremely likely.

That has forced the Villans into action to find a replacement for the 33-year-old.

Pervis Estupinan was strongly linked with a move as a Premier League return looked to be on the cards.

It now looks as if Ruggeri is the chosen one in B6 as we assess what we know about the Italian.

When could Aston Villa sign Matteo Ruggeri?

The 24-year-old is coming off the back of a debut campaign at Atletico Madrid.

After signing from Atalanta last summer, he was a regular under Diego Simeone in the Spanish capital.

Villa have now swooped in and look set to secure his signature.

Matteo Moretto reported on Friday that Ruggeri has accepted an offer from the Villans and a move from Atleti is now "imminent".

A deal is reported elsewhere to come in at around £15million, with add-ons potentially set to carry that fee to £20m.

The claret and blue outfit had been waiting for the Italy international to green light the deal, which he has now done.

Unai Emery and Co. will now wait for the defender to go through the typical transfer tasks including his medical and contract signing.

That could see a transfer be revealed next week should everything go to plan.

It will be interesting to see whether a deal can be sealed before Wednesday's Super Cup clash as Ruggeri could add something different to this Villa squad.

What will Ruggeri bring to Aston Villa?

He may only be 24, but the Italian has plenty of top level experience after coming through at Atalanta.

He became a regular in Bergamo and featured regularly for them in the Champions League and Europa League.

That alerted Atletico to his signature, where he went on to feature 47 times and pick up seven assists in his one and only season.

Ruggeri is known for his ability on the ball as his crossing and passing is known as his key talent.

That isn't to say that his defensive ability lacks as he is also famed for his quality in the air.

All that could see him represent the perfect alternative for Digne as his crossing made a big difference in B6.

Villa will want to get Ruggeri through the door as soon as possible to remove the risk of being light in that area.