Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is reportedly on the transfer shortlist of Al-Nassr as they look to bolster their defensive options.
The 28-year-old joined us from Villarreal in July 2023 and has since gone on to make 73 appearances for the club, establishing himself as a fundamental figure under Unai Emery.
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With his technical ability and composure in possession, Pau has been pivotal in Emery’s process of implementing his preferred style of play through building out from the back, and although improvements are still needed from a defensive perspective, there’s no denying how influential he’s been in our progression over the past two seasons.
However, according to Footmercato, the Spaniard has emerged as a potential transfer target for Al-Nassr, who are said to have added him to their transfer shortlist amid ongoing talks over Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.
While it’s hoped that they don’t firm up their interest in Pau and make a formal offer, it remains to be seen if that proposal would be enough to tempt Villa into selling as it could be a lucrative package given their spending power.
Emery has Tyrone Mings at his disposal too for the left-sided centre-half role, while talented youngster Yasin Ozcan will be seen as a possible long-term solution in that position after his arrival from Kasimpasa this summer.
In turn, Villa are well covered in that department, but when fully fit and in top form, Pau is arguably still the first-choice option and will continue to be so in the upcoming campaign.
With that in mind, it’s hoped that Villa ultimately fend off any interest from the Saudi club, as the focus has to be on strengthening the squad in the back-end of the summer by continuing to build around core pieces like Pau, rather than having to potentially replace them moving forward.
Furthermore, we’re perhaps in the market for a right-sided centre-half to ensure we have sufficient competition and depth alongside Ezri Konsa, and so reducing numbers in the backline doesn’t seem to be likely outcome in the coming weeks.
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