Aston Villa swoop for Jordan Veretout, Rudy Gestede

London: Aston Villa announced two new signings on Friday, with French midfielder Jordan Veretout signing from Nantes and Benin striker Rudy Gestede joining from Blackburn Rovers.

Both players have signed five-year deals and arrive for undisclosed fees, taking the number of Villa`s close-season signings to nine.

Veretout, 22, has been a first-team regular for Nantes since 2011 and is reported to have cost Villa in the region of £7 million ($10.9 million, 9.9 million euros).

"I`m really pleased Jordan decided to choose Aston Villa over the other options he had and opt to continue his development with us," Villa manager Tim Sherwood told the club`s website.

"He is only 22 years old, but he is vastly experienced for someone that age. He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player.

"I know he is very highly rated over in France so we are delighted to get this deal over the line."

Veretout follows French left-back Jordan Amavi (Nice), Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gueye (Lille) and Ghana striker Jordan Ayew (Lorient) in swapping Ligue 1 for Villa Park.

Former Metz and Cardiff City striker Gestede, 26, scored 22 goals for second-tier Blackburn last season and is thought to have cost Villa around £6 million.

"I`ve known about Rudy since he was at Cardiff City and he is a player I`ve always admired," said Sherwood.

"His goalscoring ratio last season was fantastic and he is someone who certainly knows how to find the back of the net. He`s a big, physical striker, but he can play and I`m pleased to welcome him to the football club."

Villa avoided relegation from the Premier League by three points last season and lost 4-0 to Arsenal in the FA Cup final.