Aston Villa transfer completed as defender secures Premier League switch

Aston Villa's Alex Moreno has joined Nottingham Forest on loan with an option to buy.

The left-back was made available for transfer this summer following the arrival of Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for £37.5m in June. Lucas Digne has received transfer interest this summer, but did not want to leave the club.

Moreno struggled with injuries last season, while Digne enjoyed his best campaign in claret and blue yet. Signed from Real Betis for £13m in the summer of 2023, Moreno made a transformational impact on Emery's side, helping them qualify for the Europa Conference League.

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"We signed Ian Maatsen and were speaking with some different players in this position now we have difficulties to manage with three specific left full-backs," Emery said after the win over West Ham last weekend. "We were thinking to be strong in this position and Alex Moreno is a player who he is now leaving."

Moreno has made a total of 48 appearances for Villa since arriving from Real Betis in January 2023. The Spaniard has two years remaining on his current contract, as does fellow left-back Digne.

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