La Liga heavyweights Barcelona are reportedly keen on signing Pau Torres, who has a €60 million release clause in his Villarreal contract.
According to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, a report on centre-back targets has suggested Pau Torres as the ideal fit for Barcelona. The Spanish international, who has a €60 million release clause in his Villarreal contract, is one of five centre-backs on the Catalan club’s radar heading into the summer transfer window.
Pau Torres has established himself as one of the best defenders in La Liga since enjoying his breakthrough campaign at Villarreal a couple of years ago. The 25-year-old has since become a pivotal figure for club and country and a hot property in the transfer market.
The Spanish international has turned out 130 times thus far for Villarreal while chipping in with ten goals and four assists. Torres’s exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the most high profile clubs in Europe, including Barcelona, setting their sights on him.
Barcelona will likely sign two centre-backs in the summer transfer window amid a host of issues brewing in the central defensive unit at Camp Nou. While Gerard Pique is not getting any younger and is in the twilight of his career, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Oscar Mingueza are deemed surplus to requirements.
So while Andreas Christensen looks destined to join Barcelona from Chelsea in a Bosman move in the summer transfer window, signing another centre-back will be a step in the right direction for Barcelona. To that end, Torres has emerged as a viable target for the Blaugrana, with their reports on him suggesting he is the ideal fit at Camp Nou.
But while Torres fits the requirements of Barcelona perfectly, his €60 million release clause will put a spanner in the works for the Blaugrana. The Catalan giants are unlikely to pay such a sum to land the Spanish international in the summer transfer window, meaning they will need to set their sights on an alternative.
Barcelona’s shortlist of central defensive targets also includes Mohammed Salisu, Matthijs de Ligt, Aymeric Laporte and Jules Kounde. As for Torres, a €60 million move to Barcelona appears unlikely unless the Blaugrana can recoup enough funds from player sales.