Aston Villa favourites as Pau Torres set to leave Villareal
Aston Villa are favourites to sign Villarreal centre back Pau Torres, and have already held talks with the Spanish club, according to Marca.
Marca are reporting that Torres has decided to leave Villarreal this summer, with Unai Emery the driving force behind the move as he is “in love” with the player he managed before arriving at Villa Park.
The report goes on to say that Villa would not be able to afford him at the current asking price of over £38million, although he is entering the final year of his contract and has made his intentions clear to the club and his agents, so negotiations over that price would be possible.
Italian giants Juventus have also been linked and will look to rival Villa over any deal for Torres this summer.
He could be a star player
Villa should go all out to make this deal happen. After the unfortunate injury to Diego Carlos at the beginning of last season, it became clear that Villa’s main area of weakness was in defence. Both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa are good options, but Torres would take them to the next level.
His arrival would be a clear statement of intent at Villa Park, as the midlands side look to better their seventh-placed finish, and subsequent UEFA Conference League qualification, in the Premier League this season.
Following recent links to Bilbao’s Nico Williams, it has become clear that Unai Emery would like to target the Spanish market to bolster his squad, now looking to his former club for players he knows and trusts.
At only 26 years old, Torres is one of the most highly-rated defenders in the world, with interest from Tottenham, Juventus and Manchester United all reported.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans are ready to submit a bid for an Italian superstar.