Pau Torres would be a ‘hell of a signing’ for Aston Villa with the Premier League outfit growing in confidence over a potential £25 million deal for Villarreal’s La Liga stopper.
Unai Emery is not only the elite-level tactician Aston Villa needed as they look to finally produce the performances to match their ambition, a man with a silverware collection to rival that of John Lewis also promises to give the Midland giants the sort of pulling power predecessors Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard simply couldn’t match.
Emery will be one of the major reasons why Pau Torres is reportedly leaning towards joining Aston Villa this summer, despite rival interest from Bayern Munich and Juventus.
The silky Spain centre-back is ready to let Villarreal know that he wants to leave this summer, and could be available for a knock-down fee of £25 million with just one year left on his contract (Marca).
Aston Villa leading Bayern Munich in Pau Torres chase
A move to the Midlands, meanwhile, would see Torres reunite with Emery.
The 26-year-old shone as Emery’s Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League against all odds just over 12 months ago, and confidence is building that Torres will be showcasing pinpoint passing and expert positioning in claret-and-blue sooner rather than later (Shropshire Star).
“Good player,” former England midfielder Danny Murphy tells talkSPORT (28 June, 12pm). “That would be a hell of a signing. (Torres is) a lovely footballer. Good size, (he’s got) presence.”
Murphy, once of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Blackburn, does wonder what Torres’ arrival may mean for Tyrone Mings. The Aston Villa skipper is Emery’s current left-sided centre-half. There are also questions to be asked about Diego Carlos. Though the former Sevilla stopper is also capable of playing on the right.
“I would worry for Mings. Maybe (he) would have competition for his place,” Murphy adds. “But you need that.”
The likes of Torres, Tyler Adams and Youri Tielemans (who’s arrival from Leicester City was confirmed a few weeks ago) will certainly add high-quality depth to an Aston Villa squad preparing for a long-awaited return to Europe.
After over a decade away from the continent, Villa finished in the UEFA Conference League spot last term.
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