Aston Villa have signed Spain defender Pau Torres from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday.
Torres had a reported release clause of €70 million ($77.8m) but with the centre-back having only a year left on his contract with Villarreal, the English side agreed a fee in the region of €36.7 million ($40.8m).
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"The 26-year-old defender, who has been capped on 23 occasions for his country, arrives at Villa for an undisclosed fee," Villa said in a statement.
"A native of Villarreal, Torres came through the ranks of his hometown club and went on to become a key player for the LaLiga side."
Torres won the Europa League with Villarreal under current Villa boss Unai Emery when they beat Manchester United in the 2021 final.
Villa have been looking to add experience to their squad ahead of their Europa Conference League campaign and Torres is the club's second signing of the transfer window, following the arrival of midfielder Youri Tielemans from Leicester City earlier this week.