Manchester City and Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Villarreal defender Pau Torres.
According to Florian Plettenberg, Pau Torres is facing an uncertain future at Villarreal. The highly-rated defender is actively looking for a way out of the club, with his agent offering him to several top teams across Europe. Chelsea and Manchester City are among the clubs to have been offered the opportunity to sign the Spaniard this summer.
Juventus have been also approached by Torres’ agent, but the Italian giants are preoccupied with the pursuit of Gleison Bremer. It puts Chelsea and Manchester City in a great position to secure the services of the Spanish international, who has enjoyed a swift rise to prominence at Villarreal.
With a total of 133 competitive appearances for the Yellow Submarine, Torres has made a solid impression with his leadership, consistency and technical prowess. Many even regard him as one of the best centre-backs in La Liga, with the 25-year-old also one of the frontrunners to spearhead the Spanish defence in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Torres had been a top target for several clubs across Europe this summer. Manchester United, for one, were increasingly keen on signing the Villarreal centre-back, but they have settled for former Ajax star Lisandro Martinez. The Argentine has divided the fanbase due to his height, but his experience of working under Erik ten Hag means the Red Devils are unlikely to pursue other options.
This leaves Chelsea and Manchester City as possible destinations for Torres, with the former desperately on the hunt for central defensive reinforcements after the departure of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Cesar Azpilicueta is soon expected to follow suit as well, amid interest from Barcelona.
Although the Blues have recently roped in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, coach Thomas Tuchel wants to sign two more top-quality options. The club are pressing to sign PSG mainstay Presnel Kimpembe and are competing with Barcelona for the services of Jules Kounde, but in Pau Torres, they may have an ideal alternative.
As for Manchester City, they could use the addition of a new centre-back following the struggles of Nathan Ake, who has been unable to cement a place in the manager’s plans. The addition of Torres, therefore, could go a long way in adding the much-needed quality depth to the defensive unit.
However, both the clubs may struggle to finance a move for the Spanish international, who is rated over €50 million by Villarreal. The player also has two years remaining on his current contract at the club, so we may only see the defender leaving Villarreal in 2023.