On Wednesday, the Premier League club confirmed that it has acquired Spain defender Pau Torres from Villarreal for an undisclosed amount.
Torres reportedly had a release clause of €70 million ($77.8m), but with only a year left on his contract with Villarreal, the English club agreed to a sum in the range of €36.7 million ($40.8m).
“The 26-year-old defender, who has represented his country on 23 occasions, joins Villa for an undisclosed fee,” Villa stated in a statement.
“A Villarreal native, Torres rose through the ranks of his hometown club to become a key player for the LaLiga side.”
Torres won the Europa League in 2021 with Villarreal, who current Villa manager Unai Emery managed.
Torres is Villa’s second acquisition of the summer window after midfielder Youri Tielemans’ arrival from Leicester City earlier this week.