Aston Villa complete signings of Zion Suzuki and Matteo Ruggeri

Aston Villa have completed the signings of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma and Italy left-back Matteo Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid, per ESPN.

Sky Sports reported the Suzuki deal at £29.9m (€35m), with the agreement reached on Sunday — a figure from Sky rather than an official club announcement. Neither ESPN nor Sky reported a fee for Ruggeri, so none is stated here.

Sky Sports noted that Suzuki "turns 24 this month" and joined Parma from Urawa Red Diamonds in 2024. ESPN wrote that he arrives "amid question marks over the future of Villa's Emiliano Martínez". According to Sky, Juventus had an £8.5m (€10m) bid for Martínez rejected and have since cooled their interest — so Villa's current No 1 is still at the club, with a succession plan now in place.

Ruggeri only joined Atlético last year on a five-year deal, per ESPN, and made 26 La Liga appearances plus 15 Champions League matches last season as Atlético reached the semifinal. He replaces Lucas Digne, who left for Paris Saint-Germain. Villa have also lost Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans this summer.

Neither signing is a marquee move, and that looks deliberate: both fill positions Unai Emery's squad was genuinely short in, with European commitments making depth as valuable as star quality.

Aston Villa open the 2026/27 Premier League season away at Brighton on Sunday 23 August.

Sources: ESPN, Sky Sports (18–19 August 2026).