Valencia have signed Napoli defender Victor Ruiz.

Ruiz spent a season in Italy having been signed from Espanyol.

Valencia technical secretary Braulio Vazquez believes the acquisition of Ruiz, who helped Spain win the European Under-21 Championship earlier this summer, will prove to be "an important step forward" for Los Che.

He told valenciacf.es: "[Ruiz is] of the highest level in Europe. He has great technique, positional sense and strength.

"He will help to complement our existing defence and offer something different to our squad.

"He is a player with a big future ahead of him, and will definitely shine in the present.

"We are proud to have him here, and to have reached an agreement for his signature after a difficult negotiation process, because Napoli valued him very highly.

"I think that with Victor on board, we have taken an important step forward."