Aston Villa have reportedly made a formal offer to Villarreal as we eye a summer swoop for defender Pau Torres.
The 26-year-old was a key figure for the La Liga side again this past season, making 39 appearances across all competitions, while he has also earned 23 caps for Spain to date.
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Having joined Villarreal in 2019, Unai Emery knows the defensive ace well from their time working together at the club, and it has been suggested that a reunion this summer could be possible.
According to Cadena Ser, Villa have formalised our offer for Torres, and now we await to see what the Spaniard decides on his future as he’s expected to make a choice on whether he stays or moves on in the coming days or weeks.
It’s added that there is interest from elsewhere though, and so Villa will arguably prefer to move quickly to get a deal done, if our touted interest is indeed accurate.
That’s not the only Spanish outlet to report on the news either, with El Periodico Mediterraneo suggesting that Torres has played his last game for Villarreal and will move on this off-season, and that Villa may well be capable of presenting an offer that makes it difficult for rival interested parties in La Liga to compete with us.
Villa must add quality competition and depth this summer to be able to compete at a higher level and across multiple fronts, as Emery has made no secret of his desire to have two top options in every role.
While the addition of Torres would put pressure on Tyrone Mings given they both operate on the left side of a centre-half pairing, it’s what’s needed at the club if we have serious ambitions of kicking on, with Diego Carlos also pushing for a starting berth with Ezri Konsa, which in turn could result in an exit for Calum Chambers.
With the potential number of games we could play next season, having that quartet battle it out to not only help us make ongoing progress in the Premier League but to compete for silverware domestically and in Europe, could be exactly what’s needed in defence to raise the bar again next year.