have signed Stoke midfielder Glenn Whelan in a deal which could rise to £2million.
The 33-year-old has put pen to paper on a two-year contract at Villa Park, bringing to an end his nine-year association with the Premier League side.
"I have enjoyed happy times at Stoke City but now is the time for a new football adventure - and what a club to join in Aston Villa," Whelan told Villa's official club website.
"We may be in the Championship but everything about this club screams Premier League - and it's the job of the players to get us back up there.