Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte reportedly wants the club to swoop for Villarreal ’s Pau Torres after their latest scouting mission during the La Liga club’s Champions League defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday.
The Yellow Submarine surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 on the night as they crashed out at the semi-final stage, yet it seems Conte has seen enough from Torres to decide that he wants him in north London next season, although the Spaniard has been wanted by Spurs over the last two years.
Following that midweek defeat, Torres is keen to seek a new challenge in the summer and that has given Tottenham the encouragement that they can strike a deal at the end of the season.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Spurs believe they can give the 25-year-old the next best step in his career compared to other Premier League suitors such as Manchester United and Manchester City, but they will have to meet his buyout clause first.
Despite interested parties hoping to prise the Spain international away from Villarreal for around £45million this summer, it is expected that Unai Emery’s side will hold out for his £55m buy-out clause following their run to the Champions League semi-finals this season.
Torres had actually resisted Tottenham’s attempts to sign him last year due to wanting to fulfil his ambition of playing in European football’s top competition with his hometown club, but having now achieved that, Spurs feel they have a big advantage with their attempts to lure him to England once more.
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Despite being one of the best defenders in La Liga and one of the most sought after in Europe, there have previously been doubts over whether the centre-back can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League, although there have been improvements this campaign.
However, in four games against Man Utd and Liverpool in this season’s Champions League, Torres has been part of the Villarreal defence that has lost all of those fixtures and conceded nine goals in the process.
On the opposite end of that, he helped the Yellow Submarine to lift the 2020-21 Europa League title last season, in which they defeated the Red Devils, has become one of three established defenders in Spain’s national team, and narrowly missed out on the Nations League title with La Roja in October.
He would certainly be a statement signing for Spurs should they pull it off, and would dramatically improve their defensive options for next season, but they face stern competition for his signature from Man Utd.
The Red Devils are desperate for reinforcements at the back themselves and with Phil Jones and Eric Bailly looking as though they could be moved on in the summer, new boss Erik ten Hag will look to begin lining up their replacements.
A new manager and a new project at Old Trafford will certainly be an attractive proposition for Torres and will be hard to ignore, but working under Conte in a team who do not need to start from scratch and could well be playing Champions League football next season is just as good an option, if not better.
