Aston Villa are closing in on Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres, as Unai Emery eyes a reunion with his former star.
Monchi will be hoping to deliver a strong summer of signings in his opening spell as president of football operations, with the La Liga gem having the potential to be a marquee capture.
Villa’s quest for the Spaniard extends back to January, where 90min suspected that the defender could follow Emery to the Midlands.
News this week reported by Spanish outlet Sport claimed that the 26-year-old’s next destination is in the ‘final stretch’, with both Villa and Bayern Munich named as the clubs that have made ‘firm offers’.
It was reported by Football Insider that the Yellow Submarine require a figure succeeding the £40m mark to see Torres depart.
What could Pau Torres offer to Aston Villa?
Ranking as one of the best centre-backs in Europe for his progressive play, the Villarreal ace has excelled this season and could be a thrilling asset for Emery to integrate into his side.
Lauded as “extraordinary” by former coach Javi Calleja via The Athletic, Torres placed in the top 1% of central defenders on the continent with an average of 2.24 progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, showing his competency on the ball.
Winning 61% of his total duels in La Liga this campaign, the Spaniard is a colossus in defence with a presence that could take Emery’s side to the next level.
Introducing a talent of the calibre of Torres could inspire Villa to hit further heights than what was achieved this season, in a way similar to the influence fellow centre-back Virgil Van Dijk had when signing for Liverpool.
The Reds captured the Dutchman’s signature in the January window of the 2017/18 season, in a campaign that saw Jurgen Klopp's side finish fourth.
The following two campaigns highlighted the importance of the controlling defender in the side, taking them to their sixth Champions League trophy in his first full term and then on to winning their first Premier League title the following season in 2020.
Hailed as “the best defender in the world” in 2019 by pundit Paul Merson via Sky Sports, Van Dijk was integral to Liverpool’s rise to success, acting as a true leader at the back and excelling in his defensive duties.
As per Sofascore, the Dutchman won an astounding 75% of his total duels in Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, recording an average of 1.1 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per game, being dribbled past an average of just 0.2 times per game.
Similar numbers have been hit by Torres this season in La Liga, recording a per-game average of 4.1 clearances and being dribbled past only 0.4 times, via Sofascore, showing the levels the Spaniard is operating at.
Villa had a fantastic campaign in clinching European football under Emery, and could potentially replicate the rise of Liverpool’s form by introducing their own world-beating centre-back.
The Villa boss described the 26-year-old to football.london as being a player he’d “never seen” anyone like, posing as a dominant figure to have in central defence and an individual that could inspire the squad at Villa Park to reach further heights. Indeed, like Van Dijk, he is progressive, composed and a titan at the back.