Manchester City are reportedly interested in Villarreal defender Pau Torres, with director Txiki Begiristain preparing a detailed dossier on the Spaniard.
According to a report from Spanish publication MARCA, Manchester City are keeping a very close watch on Villarreal and Spain centre-back Pau Torres with a view of signing the 24-year-old in the future.
Torres is a product of the Villarreal youth academy. The centre-half broke into the first-team in 2017 but it was only after a loan spell away at Malaga during the 2018/19 campaign that he became a regular for the Yellow Submarine. In fact, over the past couple of seasons, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in La Liga.
Torres was an integral part of the Villarreal team that went on to win the UEFA Europa League trophy last summer while he was part of the Spain squad that went till the semi-finals in the UEFA Euro 2020 and then won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Despite the over-exertion during a hectic summer, Torres has started the new season on a solid note, helping Villarreal to two clean sheets in the three La Liga matches he has featured. In total, the 24-year-old has featured 93 times, scoring five goals and setting up four more.
Torres had been a subject of transfer interest from several clubs in England and Europe over the summer. Tottenham Hotspur came the closest to signing the Spaniard after having an offer of €45 million accepted by Villarreal, only for the defender to turn down the move as he sought to continue his development at his boyhood club while playing in the Champions League.
Torres continues to attract plenty of suitors even now, with Chelsea eyeing a swoop for him while La Liga giants Real Madrid remain admirers as well. Joining the list now, as per the aforementioned report, are Premier League champions and last season’s UEFA Champions League finalists Manchester City.
It is claimed that the Cityzens have been keeping tabs on on the Spanish international for a long time now, with their scouting getting much intense over the past year. Club director of football Txiki Begiristain is said to possess a detailed dossier of everything there is to know about the Villarreal ace as Manchester City mull over a move for him.
As things stand, Manchester City are well-stocked in the centre-back department with John Stones, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake. While Laporte had been linked with an exit during the summer, one did not materialise. He has since gone on to regain his starting berth in the side and has looked in good touch as well.
So, it will certainly be interesting to see how Manchester City plan to fit Torres into the squad given the options that they already possess. Nonetheless, they remain strongly interested in the 14-time capped Spanish international, who despite having made his intentions of staying with Villarreal for the foreseeable future clear, could consider joining a club of City’s calibre.
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