Aston Villa sign defender Álex Moreno from Real Betis | OneFootball

Unai Emery has completed his first signing as Aston Villa boss in the form of left-back Álex Moreno.

The 29-year-old has moved from LaLiga club Real Betis, signing a three-and-a-year deal at Villa Park.

It has been reported by the BBC that Villa will pay a fee of around £13.2m for the defender, who has featured in all but one of Betis’ fixtures so far this season and helped the club win the Copa del Rey in 2022.

Moreno will provide competition for Lucas Digne at left-back and joins having provided three assists for Manuel Pellegrini’s side in 2022/23.

Emery spoke of his delight in signing Moreno to the club website: “Álex is a good player that can help our squad.

“He has been one of the top left-backs in La Liga over the past few seasons and we are delighted to have him here.”

Moreno turned down a move to fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the summer.